The subtle nuances of winter cast a spell on actors Charlize Theron and Orlando Bloom in the latest campaign from UNIQLO. Shot in sunny Malibu, CA by Chris Sargent, the director/DP called upon Dashing Collective and VFX Supervisor Rob Moggach to change the Malibu coastline to a a wintry, east coast environment and enhance and create blowing snow throughout in order to extol the warmth of the Japanese retailer's Heattech winter line.
Moggach, an accomplished supervisor and artist, spent two weeks removing the Malibu skyline and Santa Monica mountains and adding a light snowfall for Theron's beach stroll and surrounding Bloom's cozy Rocky Mountain cabin with heavier amounts of the white stuff.
"These films were already very cinematic and beautiful so our job was to fall into the background and enhance already pristine images," says Moggach. "There was a limited amount of time so all of the snow is animated procedurally on the Flame as opposed to going the traditional CG route."
This unique project landed in Dashing's studio, courtesy of director Chris Sargent. Agency Dentsu Japan took a hands off approach with the production, preferring to see Sargent's vision fully realised. Both the agency and director, took the same hands-off approach to post-production, trusting Moggach's craftmanship to enhance the beautifully-filmed spots.
"The agency was fantastically supportive of Chris (Sargent) as a director and let him take the lead, so he oversaw our work as client," says Dashing EP Danielle Lyons. "He could've taken the VFX work anywhere and he chose Dashing knowing Rob's talent and experience was what the film needed. For a Director/DP with such a strong visual style and extensive VFX knowledge, we were honoured by the level of trust."
Anchored by Founder/Creative Director Robert Moggach, Executive Producer Danielle Lyons and a select team of top digital artists, Dashing is tailor-made for handling projects with demanding and unconventional creative and technical challenges.