For the launch of Fender’s American Acoustasonic Jazzmaster guitar, which allows players to blend between acoustic and electronic tones, veteran CG artisans ManvsMachine craft a stunner based on the tagline “The Sonic Shapeshifter”.

Felix Bradley-Davies, studio manager at ManvsMachine in London: “The mission was to create a film that both educated and excited the audiences as to the boundless versatility and endless sonic possibilities of this incredible new instrument.

“Aware of the rich heritage behind Fender, we knew the film had to echo the company’s legendary status whilst also looking to the future and throw fresh light on the brand and this innovative, convention-breaking, new guitar.

“There was no real script for the piece, just the tagline and a very specific list of guitars that Fender wanted us to communicate both visually and sonically.

“So, we dived straight into a long R&D phase to explore the idea of shapeshifting and also enlisted the help of multi-award-winning music and sound design studio Resonate, who carved out the aural journey using only the product itself.

“One of the key features of the guitar is the innovative new Blend Knob. By simply turning the knob, it allows the guitar to seamlessly shift between acoustic voicings and big electric tones – bridging the gap between two worlds that had previously been opposed.

“The cause and effect relationship between the rotation of the Blend Knob and its physical and aural transformations became a central conceit of the film.”
 

Client: Fender

Production: ManvsMachine
Director/animator: ManvsMachine

Music/Sound Design: Resonate