Saddington Baynes

Highlights

Where Science meets Art

Take a look behind the scenes of how we brought this dead rotten tree back to life through the use of CG, Watercolor, and AI-driven imagery.

Our CD Aron Baxter used his own watercolor painting skills to find that authentic and natural action of ink soaking through paper and water blotches.

STYLE FRAMES:

Sharing detailed style frames of the end results helps galvanize the agency creative and end clients around the look and feel of the end spot.

Realizing a next-level creativity and productivity in this animation project for Concentric Life

This presented an opportunity to blend various passions: a love for painting, a reverence for nature, and a commitment to themes of recovery, regeneration, and optimism.

Objective

A Parallel with Nature

We embarked on this journey with a foundational idea of Art and Science. A painting that is born on the canvas in front of us, detailing a dead cherry tree branch, which is ultimately rejuvenated and brought back to life by stem cells. The branch is effectively an analogy for a limb or an organ in the human body. This was a unique way to showcase stem cells and how they can benefit our bodies. The challenge was to maintain this message of regeneration while creating a visual odyssey. Our collaborative efforts with our talented clients led to a compelling narrative, enriched with subtle yet impactful messaging that we were collectively proud of.

Process

Using Ethical AI for Ideation and Productivity

The conceptualization phase was an exploration of diverse visual styles, utilizing a range of innovative tools. We began traditionally, with pencil sketches, and watercolor paintings by our Creative Director, Aron Baxter. We meticulously researched and expanded our concepts. Our journey included bringing a painting to life, depicting the regeneration of a cherry tree branch, and ultimately showcasing a fully blossomed, healthy tree. We employed a combination of traditional hand techniques, computer-generated imagery, and cutting-edge AI tools. This approach allowed for the creation of key visuals, style frames, and initial animation tests. Experimentation was key, leading to a mix of successes, challenges, and unexpected delights, embodying the essence of the creative process. AI tools significantly accelerated our experimentation, enabling rapid exploration of visual styles and ideation, an often-limited aspect in commercial ventures.

The project’s evolution was ‘traditionally modern’. Starting from sketches and style frames, we progressed to an animatic, crucial for assessing initial music choices and pacing. After several iterations, we selected a musical style and established an editing framework. A CG animatic was then developed, refining the edit and enhancing the visual transformations.

Aligning with the Spring season, our project mirrored themes of new growth and renewal, a fitting parallel to the rejuvenating essence of the final piece.