Apple leads integrated Christmas push with cosy stop-motion/CGI short
Apple has taken a leaf out of BBC One’s 2017 Christmas trail and combined the crafts of CGI and stop-motion for its integrated holiday campaign, which launches with a short narrative film.
Apple's holiday ad
‘Share Your Gifts’ follows a young woman, Sofia, who goes through life hiding her creativity. She types frantically on her Mac in her bedroom but hides the output of her work inside a locked breadbox.
If any of her friends or family catch a glimpse of her creativity – whether that be turning a loaf of bread into a 3D character or drawing a pair of sunglasses onto bus window condensation – she immediately shies away.
Yet one day, as the snow begins to fall, Sofia’s faithful dog knocks open her window and her hidden sheets of paper fly out onto the street. As she runs around frantically gathering her work, she’s surprised by the joy it has bought those who picked it up.
The camera pans out of her chocolate box town as the endline reads: ‘Share Your Gifts’.
The short was created by mixing shots from a handcrafted set with computer generated characters, in order to get the best facial reactions from the inanimate cast alongside a stylized world. The film’s original score is provided by 16-year-old singer-songwriter, Billie Eilish, who used simply her Mac and Logic Pro X to produce the song, ‘Come Out and Play’.
More long and short-form content is to come from the ‘Share Your Gifts’ campaign; this will be distributed across TV, social and digital. Apple is supporting the film’s launch today (20 November) with a live event at its Third Street Promenade store in Santa Monica in Southern California.
The campaign was devised by TBWA\ Media Arts Lab with animation from Buck Productions.
