For the brief of a new campaign Telstra CMO Brent Smart and his team tasked Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and +61 to find an engaging and memorable solution for the brand that shares its story in surprising ways.
The result is an ambitious campaign consisting of 26 stop-motion films – each focusing on a specific location around Australia and the idiosyncratic characters who live there and benefit from better coverage from Telstra. The result is a series of spots built around the idea that everywhere is better on a better network.
Cast from a wide variety of Australians from across the country, the characters come to life as everything from father and son krills and blokey wattle flowers, to larping Tasmanian devils and teenage goth cockatoos.
Coinciding with the run-up to the Olympics, the campaign launches with the 26 films from June, and across Nine’s broadcast of the Games through July and August.
To bring this epic series to life, BMEOF partnered with award-winning director Jeff Low at Revolver. Low brought on animation director Tobias Fouracre, whose experience on Isle of Dogs and Fantastic Mr Fox made the duo perfectly suited to bring the hugely unique production to life.
“It’s rare you get to make something this ambitious, crafted and engaging,” said Micah Walker, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of BMEOF.
“It’s been a huge endeavour with a lot of talented folks working around the clock to make it happen. Big thanks to all involved.”
Blake Crosbie, Managing Director of +61 added: “With the best coverage in Australia, we needed a campaign that genuinely connected Telstra to the sheer scale of the country. What better way to do that than 26 unique takes on Australian places and characters.”
Credits
Client: Telstra
Chief Marketing Officer: Brent Smart
Head of Brand: Alita McMenamin
Head of Creative Excellence: Anna Jackson
Senior Brand Manager: Vanessa Burr
Senior Media Specialist: Robert Aoukar
Creative: Bear Meets Eagle On Fire with +61
Media: OMD
Film
Production Company: Revolver
Director: Jeff Low
Managing Director/Co owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/Partner: Pip Smart
Producer: Caroline Kruck
Producer: Kwok Yau
Animation Director: Tobias Fouracre
DOP: Jan Pawel Trzaska
Production Designer: Oliver Hogan
Casting Director: Natalie Jane Harvey, Citizen Jane Casting
Service Company: WJ Team
Post Production AU: The Editors
Grade: Trish Cahill
Making Of Film Editor: Grace O’Connell
Executive Producer: Nicoletta Rousianos
Post Producers: Adrian Konarski & Isabella Key
Online: Stuart Cadzow & Matt Edwards
Post Production UK: Electric Theatre Collective
Executive Producer: Vic Lovejoy
Coordinator: Ryley King
2D Supervisor: David Felipe
2D Lead: Daniel Brewster
Compositors: Lucie Brant, George Gough, Antonia Palmer & Ktryna Lidzuite
Sound/Music: Rumble Studios
Executive Producer: Michael Gie
Lead Sound Designer: Tone Aston
Sound Designer: Daniel William
