Sing like nobody’s listening: a pro tip from Honda’s very own herd of serenading sheep who’ve been practicing their Big Game rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” especially for Super Bowl 50. The Big Game spot, ‘A New Truck to Love’, was created by RPA in collaboration with The Mill and Director Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man.
3D Lead Artist Matt Fuller explains, “When it came to animating the sheep, it was key for the team to convey a great balance between humorous and naturalistic performances. Drawing reference from live action footage resulted in relaying physically plausible mouth movements, which were then built upon by adding comically crafted performances. The Mill’s vast character experience and creature pipeline meant we were able to seamlessly replace the sheep’s muzzle and face, with a meticulously matched animated CG version. Each sheep had its own visual characteristics which called for bespoke facial structures and fur grooms.”
When the star talent includes farm animals that only speak sheep (and therefore struggle to interpret direction on set), the post-production process becomes all the more painstaking. Shoot Supervisor and 2D Lead Artist Glyn Tebbutt says, “Most shots required the stitching of many plates due to the fact that the sheep simply wouldn’t do what they were told! The whole team were meticulous in their interpretation of how the sheep should pull off the Queen classic, always keeping the performances in the realm of reality, whatever that is when it comes to singing animals. Paying close attention to detail to each individual sheep’s sculptural qualities and variations in fur was key to making seamless blends between CG and the real sheep. Backgrounds were also augmented to bring an alpine flavour to the geography.”
Shoot Supervisor and 3D Lead Artist Felix Urquiza comments, “While exciting, the overall atmosphere that can come with the Super Bowl can be intense. The experience we had with ‘A New Truck to Love’ was smooth sailing from day one. The team environment was amazing, and everyone put lots of effort into communicating and keeping the energy alive. From our clients, to 3D, 2D and production, it was definitely one of the best Super Bowl experiences I’ve seen in my career.”