Image of woman cartoon character having just poured water into the ground.

#WombStories

Partnering with creatives Nick & Nadja at advertising agency AMV BBDO, Framestore is thrilled to have been a part of the female-led team, providing animation and live action VFX for the latest boundary-smashing campaign for Libresse & Bodyform. 

Concept Design
Animation
Effects Simulation
Visual Effects Supervisor
Direction
Characters
animated uteri in space for the bodyform wombstories campaign

The campaign film directed by Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominated Nisha Ganatra (Late Night) saw Framestore direct six animated sequences, each featuring a different style of animation to show the inner-worlds that act as reflections to the realities of the uterus. The film has been created to dispel myths, encourage a positive conversation and address the life-changing moments in a woman’s life, from miscarriages and the menopause to endometriosis.

Framestore Creative Director Sharon Lock worked with Nick & Nadja to carefully select the styles of animations that would bring to life the emotions and unique perspectives of each story. Styles included 2D cell techniques and stop frame animation, as well as hand-painted images created with oil paint on glass.

an animated character in a boat ride. there is a stream that leads up to two different caves. one says 'i want children' the other says 'i don't want children'
a close up shot of a cartoon character sweating and holding onto the top of a ladder with a cable in their mouth

Sharon worked with the team of artists to direct the animated sequences and work as the main central point of creativity for them with the client and agency. Talking about bringing those visually different elements together into a single cohesive and powerful film, Sharon said; ‘it was important that the animations produced for this film not only looked as good as possible but also made an emotional impact on audiences because of the nature of the film.

‘We worked with animators who had wonderful storytelling abilities and whose work was unique and handmade and could communicate a range of tone and emotion to audiences in a short amount of time on-screen.’

a stop motion character in a garden watering plants
a mischievous looking cartoon character operating a control room with a period theme. there is a 'new underwear alert' text on the screen behind and there is period blood going through a large tube

The team at Framestore, which included producers Niamh O’Donohoe and Emma Cook, was a part of the film’s predominantly-female cast and crew, something that they felt made a big difference in creating something that was honest and powerful. ‘We were telling real stories about the experiences of being a woman so having the team we did meant we had something of a shorthand,’ commented O’Donohoe. ‘We could easily communicate what we needed because there was a mutual understanding of how these stories had to be presented, something that I feel beautifully reflects the messages that Libresse/Bodyform is always communicating.’

Framestore also delivered invisible VFX work for the film’s live action portions and created a world of uteri which represents the billions of women who are a part of the Libresse’s/Bodyform’s story. These visuals are featured in the opening and closing sequences and are the brand’s main visual for the campaign.

a stopmotion character standing in a room that is on fire. there is sprinkler water coming out of the ceiling
an abstract red themed painting
It was important that everyone worked really closely together to make sure every frame did its part in telling the stories and I think the final piece speaks for itself. It was amazing to be part of such an inspiring and creative campaign.
Sharon Lock
Creative Director

Credits

Client
Libresse
Advertising Agency
AMV BBDO
Executive Creative Directors
Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley
Producer
Edwina Dennison
Director
Nisha Ganatra
Production Company
Chelsea Pictures
Animation, VFX and Colour
Framestore
Creative Director Animation
Animators
Haein Kim, Carine Khalife, Salla Lehmus at Soja, Roos Mattaar, Kate Isobel Scott at Everyone Agency, Laura Jayne Hodkin at Strange Beast
Comp Lead
Tri Do
Compositor
Simon Stoney
Digital Matte Painting
Lee Matthews
Flame
Tim Greenwood
Colourist
Simon Bourne
VFX Producer
Emma Cook
Design Senior Producer
Niamh O’Donohoe
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