Description:

The spot needed to look real and also convey a mythologised insight into the beauty and power of nature. It had to showcase a very unique product, and hero the tiny insects that create it — all in a few seconds.
There was a lot of testing to find the line between natural chaos and art directed simplicity.
Too perfect and the images became unbelievable, too much randomness and the images felt messy. We experimented extensively to find just the right levels of imperfection. The same was true of the movement and animation. We focused on capturing the slightly chaotic, but determined motions of the bees, while allowing them to move in a way that clearly communicated the storyline.

We drew on the ancient Japanese art of Ikebana to guide the layout and arrangement of the ‘set’ elements. Abiding by these aesthetic philosophies helped us design and construct a visually satisfying image that appealed to eastern and western eyes. In addition to studying bee and plant (Mānuka) anatomy, we worked with an experienced cinematographer to light the scenes for the best dramatic effect without losing the made-by-nature subtext.