Bring That Craft Home

For the brand’s first national campaign in its 10-year history, Framestore Pictures and Framestore teamed up with The Many to navigate some of the unique logistical challenges that the COVID work from home order presented.

The campaign features an ensemble of animated talking chameleons based on the brand’s iconic logos, each with quirky, yet approachable, showcasing that there’s something for everyone’s taste when it comes to Chameleon’s range of products. 

The virtual production process involved production and animation partners working together across the U.S., from New York and Washington, DC to Los Angeles. The director, agency, production and VFX teams employed a Zoom video village to allow for seamless communication throughout the shoot and navigate any obstacles as they arose in real time. 

Framestore Creative Director Chris Eckhart served as the project’s Director of Photography, conducting a solo shoot from his home studio in Los Angeles early during the lockdown period. Utilizing a Sony F65 with an output feeding directly to Zoom, each member of the crew had two devices set up -- one to allow for a camera signal, the other to communicate with the rest of the team. 

“Shooting at the start of the pandemic meant that there was a lot of exploration around our approach and how to maintain safety as a top priority. Peer to peer in-person interaction was zero," said Eckardt. “It was certainly a career ‘first’ and such an incredible learning experience during unique times, not to mention a lot of pressure placed on the technology and equipment to ensure it functioned perfectly.”

The Framestore team worked its animation and VFX magic to bring each of the brand’s chameleon characters to life. Using Adobe After Effects to initially deconstruct the character assets, the animation team then employed a series of tools within the suite to rig the limbs of the creatures and the distinctive mosaic pattern of their skin, ensuring that each chameleon’s unique character shone through. Once the animation was combined with lighting and texturing in CG, the chameleons came to life.