With help from Ponder director Tomas Jonsgarden, the creature VFX crew at Framestore, and Bonny Tyler, a pet reptile named Jeff goes walkabout (or vacuum-about) in this comic :60 for telco and internet provider Three Ireland.

Framestore VFX Supervisor Jules Janaud in London: “It was a challenge to come up with something interesting that was real and comical. Jeff had to be believable but at the same time we needed to create something beyond the boundaries of realism.”

“On set, the team used a taxidermy bearded dragon for lighting references. In addition, they 3D-scanned each scene and captured as many references as possible to help reconstruct each shot environment.

“Several shots were shot at high-speed, so it was tricky to ensure the animation felt real. Lizards move in a broken-up way and if you start slowing things down it doesn’t always work well visually.

“We had to find subtle elegant moves whilst ensuring Jeff remained looking like an authentic lizard, so we added some skin passes, such as rippled, deformation, and details on the spikes to move with the wind.”
 

“On set, the team used a taxidermy bearded dragon for lighting references. In addition, they 3D-scanned each scene and captured as many references as possible to help reconstruct each shot environment.”

 
Framestore lead animator Daniel Bielawski: “In order to illustrate Jeff’s newfound lust for life, we built upon his generally relaxed posture and inserted some lizard-like head looks and eye darts to emphasize the comedy. The parts that work best for me are when he’s not in control – his entire body might lose grip on the slippery vacuum cleaner surface, but he still happily bumbles through the city streets!”.

“Alongside the creature work, the environment called for various digital matte paintings and backgrounds including some sky enhancement and adding buildings such as skyscrapers to heighten the vibrant city feel.”
 

 
Client: Three Ireland

Agency: Boys+Girls
Chief Creative Officer: Rory Hamilton
Creative Director: Kris Clarkin
Senior Art Director: Dean Ryan
Senior Copywriter: Michael Whelan

Production: Ponder
Executive Producer: Paul Holmes
Director: Tomas Jonsgarden
Producer: Magnus Ackerstedt

VFX: Framestore
VFX Supervisor: Jules Janaud
Producer: Jake Saunders
Shoot VFX Supervisor: Jay Khan
VFX Coordinator: Poppy Chadwick

Editor: Simon Pontén

Color: Company3
Colorist: Jean-Clément Soret

Sound: Raygun
Sound Engineer: Steven Maher, Colm O’Rourke

Music: Bonnie Tyler “Holding Out For A Hero”