Ad of the Day: Jigsaw's fabric cast warm the heart in handcrafted stop-motion Christmas tale
British fashion brand Jigsaw has collaborated with the National Film and Television School (NFTS) for its hero Christmas film, which tells the story of two neighbours' romance via the medium of fabric puppetry.
The stop-motion spot is entitled ‘Together Through The Years’ and stars the cloth-formed Isabel and Caspian as neighbours who anonymously surprise each other a present each year. Disaster strikes in 2005 when a misunderstanding prevents Isabel from opening the door to her beau, who has plucked up the courage to hand her his present in person for the first time.
All ends happily, however, when they are adults. They reunite over a present in 2017, and amorous photos displayed throughout the end credits suggest a romantic relationship blossoms soon after.
The film will be shown on Jigsaw’s website and social media channels as part of the brand’s festive ‘Have a Holly Jolly Lobster’ campaign, which ‘calls for optimism during surreal times’.
Its retained creative agency The Corner worked on the ad's creative development, briefing and the judging of entries from the film school.
Nick Cinelli, an NFTS directing animation MA student, animator, producer and director of the film, explained the simple story of ‘Together Through The Years’ was enlivened by meticulous production.
“There’s a whole team behind the creation, including a wardrobe designer,” he said. “We worked directly with Jigsaw’s pattern maker and we designed equivalent miniature Jigsaw clothing like the green mohair coat and the mustard flannel trousers.”
Jigsaw has also partnered with Rococo Chocolates for ‘Have a Holly Jolly Lobster’ and is planning “a feast of colour and flavours” as a remedy to the drabness of Black Friday. It launched its pro-immigration campaign earlier this year.
