The campaign was devised by London Ad Agency WARL, directed by David Edwards @ HANraHAN with 3D design, animation, visual effects and compositing all provided by Mainframe. Shot in a studio in Prague, the commercial combines live-action performances with 3D animation and visual effects to create a fantasy pleasure world.

A key consideration in pre-production was the highly stylized animation required to bring the ad to life.

HANraHAN director, David Edwards, considered London’s traditional post production houses for this task but opted instead for Mainframe. David Edwards said: "Mainframe is a company I have wanted to work with for a while because they do some really innovative and interesting work. Mainframe has a wealth of talented designers and animators that I knew would help bring the project to life with an original and well produced final product. They're all really nice as well, which helps!”

Mainframe designed, animated and composited the entire 3D sequence, from pre-production to final visual effects, in just seven weeks.

Mainframe’s brief was to create a 3D rollercoaster in which the two protagonists can ride as they journey through their private pleasureland. Mainframe was tasked with creating a unique aesthetic based on basic style and colour references supplied by the director.

Meanwhile, WARL’s script provided guidelines for the journey’s timings.

The animation was designed and built around HANraHAN’s live-action using Maya and SoftImage. 3D elements were kept as light as possible so as to minimse render times – essential in such a short schedule. Similarly, all greenscreen compositing, tracking and online VFX were created and comped in-house at Mainframe.

This ‘holistic’ approach streamlined communications whilst further reducing timings – it would have taken an unnecessary but significant amount of time to supply layered animation elements to an external visual effects company. Additionally, the Mainframe team had become so close to the project that managing the final stages in-house allowed them complete quality control.

Go here to watch the Mates advert.

CREDITS:
Project: Mates Condoms
Air Date: w/c 10th Nov 2008
Mates Clients: Debbie Roberts and Liz Mackintosh
Agency: WARL
Creative Directors: Michelle Tuft, Brian Lloyd
Creative Team: David Fitzduff, James McCarthy
Account Team: Clare Dorsett, Marcus Willox
Agency Producer: Brian Lloyd
Production Company: HANraHAN
Director: David Edwards
Producer: Swifty Hanrahan
DoP: Ed Mash
Design, 3D, Animation, Compositing & VFX: Mainframe
MD/Producer: Adam Jenns
Head of Design: Lee Walker
Head of 3D/VFX supervisor: Arvid Niklasson
3D Artists: Jimmy Johansson, Daniell Brown, Jerome Dernoncourt
Designer: Giedre Domzaite
Head of Animation: Marcus Moresby
Motion designer: Mark Warrington
DCP Grade: George Kyriacou @ MPC
Editor: Andy McGrath @ Cut+Run
Sound Design: Ian Arge @ Envy