ICE CREATE CHARACTERS FOR NI INSURANCE BROKERS

ICE Commercials have breathed new life into the world of digitally created characters for a new television campaign for Northern Ireland insurance brokers Hughes & Company.
The campaign, created by Belfast agency Navigator Blue, is the first to use a new technique dubbed ‘Virtual Claymation’. This method was used to create nine colourful characters who highlight various aspects of Hughes’ service whilst they cheerfully sing the light-hearted tag-line ‘Hughes To Me Are Everything’.
ICE Producer Ian Steel believes that the campaign is both ground-breaking and will be enjoyed by mainstream audiences.
He said: “In developing the featured characters we were keen to try something new - a virtual sculpting tool. This allowed us to design characters on screen in much the same way as traditional moulding, whilst at the same time making full use of the advantages which computer generated images offer. This is an excellent example of finding an innovative solution to a creative challenge. The finished results combine the best of both techniques, with the claymation style giving the slick digitally created images a warmth and personality which is often lacking in computer animation. It is an extremely versatile technique which is already revolutionising the medium.”
ICE are part of Picardy Media Group, specialising in the creation of commercials for television, cinema and the Internet. They have offices in Edinburgh and Manchester.
The campaign was written and art-directed by Navigator Blue’s Terry Corr and Conor Kelly. (CD)