The Mill teamed up with AMV and Director Zachary Guerra out of HeLo to create a film that shows a cinema takeover stunt that bought attention to Smart Energy’s smart meters – a national scheme that aims to put an end to estimated energy bills.
The immersive event involved Gaz and Leccy – the animated characters which embody the lack of control the British Public have over their energy use – causing a power outage in a packed Soho cinema. Gaz and Leccy burst through the screen and begin to cause havoc in the auditorium – pyrotenics and hi-pressure CO2 canons were used to add drama and provoke the audience into reacting to the events surrounding them.
A hugely effective campaign in live action, The Mill’s role was in making sure that the event had just as much impact when viewed as a video at home – a major aspect of the campaign. Lead 2D Artist Richard de Carteret describes how, “It was our job to composite the 2D renders of Gaz and Leccy back onto the screen so that the characters could be watched without glasses in environments other than 3D enabled cinemas. We also comped the scenes where the characters exited the screen and enhanced the atmospherics such as the explosions. The live audience really enjoyed watching Gaz and Leccy causing trouble on the shoot which came across fantastically well on the final film.”