Brief:

When Arm & Hammer wanted to showcase its AbsorbX kitty litter made from desert dry minerals, they turned to MPC to direct and create a spot that demonstrated its benefits in a fun and memorable way and highlighted the product’s origins – the desert.

Solution:

Working closely with the team at The VIA Agency, our director and artists created a host of photoreal cat cowboys and cowgirls congregating in a desert saloon. The shoot took place in an existing two-story desert saloon bar in Bulgaria with a limited crew and the director directing remotely. Our teams crafted four entirely different, photoreal cat cowboys and cowgirls through grooming, rigging and quality modelling. Beside our main CG heroes, several real cats’ heads were replaced to complete the scenery. In-camera cat masks were used on-set and replaced in CG. To ensure we blended the CG to the actor’s head, we placed fur patches around the necks matching the colour of their furry character. We focused on the jaw movement and accenting phonemes such as ‘Rr’ and ‘Ee’ to help deliver a convincing feline and expressive performance.

Success:

The high-quality creature work was recognised at the VES Awards, winning the award for ‘Best Animated Character’.