The Office Max Rubberband Man Appears in Stop-Mo..
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:42 am
[b]The Office Max Rubberband Man Appears in Stop-Motion Spot[/b]
New York City; December 2, 2004 -- Already a widely celebrated advertising icon, the Office Max Rubberband Man emerged from the creative minds at DDB Chicago approximately a year ago and struck a chord with viewers. Because everyone has their own "office character," people related to this magnetic corporate personality who happily distributes office supplies precisely when they are needed most. Throughout the campaign thus far, the Rubberband Man (played by actor Eddie Steeples) has visited offices, schools, and beaches. Wherever he goes, he pushes his cart filled with supplies and moves to the tune of the 1977 hit "Rubberband Man" by The Spinners. He is a problem-solver at mythic proportions, a giver, a lover of people, but in the process hysterically funny. His motions and facial expressions are unpredictable making him a joy to watch.
Not to rest on their laurels, DDB wanted something special for the upcoming holiday season. Seeing more than a few similarities between the role of Rubberband Man and that of Santa Claus, a call back to old style stop-motion holiday specials was suggested. In animated form, Eddie could deliver office supplies to all the needy workers in a corporate environment decorated for Christmas. To do this, it meant finding an animation studio capable of recreating a character as nuanced and defined as Steeples had established over the past year. It also required animators capable of faithfully recreating the classic look of stop motion animation in the 1950s and '60s.
Both the client and agency were committed to preserving the classic look -- blemishes and all. Animators of that era painstakingly moved characters by hand, one frame at a time, on a miniature set using clay, wood and numerous other materials. However, it was not uncommon for wires and thumbprints from animators' hands to appear in the final versions. Over time this became part of the charm and nostalgia, and to a large degree, what defined the style itself.
Since its launch two years ago, Bent Image Lab has emerged as an animation/production studio that embraces all forms of animation whether it be 3-D, 2-D, cel, or stop motion. In addition to a well-equipped CG department, Bent has three stages for animators, an in-house art department for making puppets out of just about anything, and an undying respect for animation in all forms. With that, Bent became the obvious choice for DDB.
Bent quickly realized that recreating this classic look as accurately as possible was the only way to go, and they were quite pleased that everyone else agreed.
Titled "Santa's Helper," the entirely stop-motion spot begins with a shot of Rubberband Man's cart from the perspective of the man pushing it. Inside are Christmas gifts and office supplies. This is followed by a close up of Rubberband Man's oversized shoes and his unmistakable walking style. The camera pulls back to see Rubberband Man pushing his cart through a winter wonderland. The "Rubberband Man" song is in full voice, but it has clearly been remixed using bells and instruments reminiscent of the Christmas season and with backup vocals provided by a young carolers.
(Jolt, flash, lights go out in a garishly/flamboyantly decorated house¿ overtaxed tangle of extension cords and 3-way plugs.) Never breaking stride, Rubberband Man hands a delighted office worker a power strip. He then smoothly moves past three holiday stockings, filling each one on the way. He continues past other traditional Christmas scenes trying to be helpful: When a height-challenged man stands under the mistletoe next to a tall woman, the Rubberband Man helps him out with a step ladder. When a Santa loses his beard to an inquisitive child, he tosses him a glue stick. When a father is having trouble carving the Christmas ham, the Rubberband Man arrives with a paper cutter. So while he may not always have the perfect solution, the Christmas message is clear--it's the season of giving and caring.
Bent Partner and "Santa's Helper" director Chel White explained how Bent and DDB approached the spot. "While we are capable of doing smooth stop motion and even CG that looks like stop motion, that was not the goal here," he explained. "The challenge was to recreate the authenticity of a vintage look, and bring back some of the quirky personality that is lost in a lot of computer-generated animation. Our goal was to, as much as possible, do things old school. It is a bit like when musicians record with only tube amps and analog equipment to recreate a sound. We thought the best approach was the recreate the look using the classic tools and techniques. Afterwards we used digital technology to push it even further."
Bent even took measures to secure a film stock faithful to the era. "It is getting harder to find film stock with that much grain and with the same degree of sensitivity to color," explained White. "We eventually found a stock we knew would work but ended up treating it to make it even more genuine. We printed and developed the film the same way it was done in the Sixties. We also treated it to look like it had been in a vault for 40 years."
To capture Steeple's character, many scenes were acted out and filmed in live action as reference footage for the animators. "Eddie is a great personality," explained DiCarlo. "He will give you five different versions in five different takes ¿ he is a true original. His movements and character are not something we should try to guess, so we had him act out many of the gags. From there we were able to capture his moves and personality accurately."
While nostalgia drives much of the current affection for the old stop motion style, in comparison to the animation seen today, it also stands out for being different. "CG and even modern stop motion looks extremely smooth," explained White. "'Santa's Helper' has a look that is so different from what you normally see in spots today. Between Eddie's personality and the animation style, I think this spot will capture people's attention. But for me, the best response will always be--'that looks just like that clunky old animation I saw as a kid.'"
BENT IMAGE LAB is a hybrid animation laboratory/live action production studio headquartered in Portland, OR. Named Bent because it bends rules, light and the imagination, the team is highly skilled in many creative disciplines. Their mission is to generate the future in mixed-media / animation / live action, and their credo is "Never twice the same solution."
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New York City; December 2, 2004 -- Already a widely celebrated advertising icon, the Office Max Rubberband Man emerged from the creative minds at DDB Chicago approximately a year ago and struck a chord with viewers. Because everyone has their own "office character," people related to this magnetic corporate personality who happily distributes office supplies precisely when they are needed most. Throughout the campaign thus far, the Rubberband Man (played by actor Eddie Steeples) has visited offices, schools, and beaches. Wherever he goes, he pushes his cart filled with supplies and moves to the tune of the 1977 hit "Rubberband Man" by The Spinners. He is a problem-solver at mythic proportions, a giver, a lover of people, but in the process hysterically funny. His motions and facial expressions are unpredictable making him a joy to watch.
Not to rest on their laurels, DDB wanted something special for the upcoming holiday season. Seeing more than a few similarities between the role of Rubberband Man and that of Santa Claus, a call back to old style stop-motion holiday specials was suggested. In animated form, Eddie could deliver office supplies to all the needy workers in a corporate environment decorated for Christmas. To do this, it meant finding an animation studio capable of recreating a character as nuanced and defined as Steeples had established over the past year. It also required animators capable of faithfully recreating the classic look of stop motion animation in the 1950s and '60s.
Both the client and agency were committed to preserving the classic look -- blemishes and all. Animators of that era painstakingly moved characters by hand, one frame at a time, on a miniature set using clay, wood and numerous other materials. However, it was not uncommon for wires and thumbprints from animators' hands to appear in the final versions. Over time this became part of the charm and nostalgia, and to a large degree, what defined the style itself.
Since its launch two years ago, Bent Image Lab has emerged as an animation/production studio that embraces all forms of animation whether it be 3-D, 2-D, cel, or stop motion. In addition to a well-equipped CG department, Bent has three stages for animators, an in-house art department for making puppets out of just about anything, and an undying respect for animation in all forms. With that, Bent became the obvious choice for DDB.
Bent quickly realized that recreating this classic look as accurately as possible was the only way to go, and they were quite pleased that everyone else agreed.
Titled "Santa's Helper," the entirely stop-motion spot begins with a shot of Rubberband Man's cart from the perspective of the man pushing it. Inside are Christmas gifts and office supplies. This is followed by a close up of Rubberband Man's oversized shoes and his unmistakable walking style. The camera pulls back to see Rubberband Man pushing his cart through a winter wonderland. The "Rubberband Man" song is in full voice, but it has clearly been remixed using bells and instruments reminiscent of the Christmas season and with backup vocals provided by a young carolers.
(Jolt, flash, lights go out in a garishly/flamboyantly decorated house¿ overtaxed tangle of extension cords and 3-way plugs.) Never breaking stride, Rubberband Man hands a delighted office worker a power strip. He then smoothly moves past three holiday stockings, filling each one on the way. He continues past other traditional Christmas scenes trying to be helpful: When a height-challenged man stands under the mistletoe next to a tall woman, the Rubberband Man helps him out with a step ladder. When a Santa loses his beard to an inquisitive child, he tosses him a glue stick. When a father is having trouble carving the Christmas ham, the Rubberband Man arrives with a paper cutter. So while he may not always have the perfect solution, the Christmas message is clear--it's the season of giving and caring.
Bent Partner and "Santa's Helper" director Chel White explained how Bent and DDB approached the spot. "While we are capable of doing smooth stop motion and even CG that looks like stop motion, that was not the goal here," he explained. "The challenge was to recreate the authenticity of a vintage look, and bring back some of the quirky personality that is lost in a lot of computer-generated animation. Our goal was to, as much as possible, do things old school. It is a bit like when musicians record with only tube amps and analog equipment to recreate a sound. We thought the best approach was the recreate the look using the classic tools and techniques. Afterwards we used digital technology to push it even further."
Bent even took measures to secure a film stock faithful to the era. "It is getting harder to find film stock with that much grain and with the same degree of sensitivity to color," explained White. "We eventually found a stock we knew would work but ended up treating it to make it even more genuine. We printed and developed the film the same way it was done in the Sixties. We also treated it to look like it had been in a vault for 40 years."
To capture Steeple's character, many scenes were acted out and filmed in live action as reference footage for the animators. "Eddie is a great personality," explained DiCarlo. "He will give you five different versions in five different takes ¿ he is a true original. His movements and character are not something we should try to guess, so we had him act out many of the gags. From there we were able to capture his moves and personality accurately."
While nostalgia drives much of the current affection for the old stop motion style, in comparison to the animation seen today, it also stands out for being different. "CG and even modern stop motion looks extremely smooth," explained White. "'Santa's Helper' has a look that is so different from what you normally see in spots today. Between Eddie's personality and the animation style, I think this spot will capture people's attention. But for me, the best response will always be--'that looks just like that clunky old animation I saw as a kid.'"
BENT IMAGE LAB is a hybrid animation laboratory/live action production studio headquartered in Portland, OR. Named Bent because it bends rules, light and the imagination, the team is highly skilled in many creative disciplines. Their mission is to generate the future in mixed-media / animation / live action, and their credo is "Never twice the same solution."
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