Chester Zoo TV Ad Campaign: 3D Animation with paper art
Client & Sector
Client: Chester Zoo, via Edit Brand Studio;
Original paper art by Helen Musselwhite
Sector: Arts & Culture / Visitor Attractions/Advertising
The Challenge
Chester Zoo's 2018 Wild Worlds summer festival needed TV ads built around Helen Musselwhite's hand-crafted paper sculptures. But paper art can't be animated directly. The challenge was digitally recreating something handmade without losing the warmth and the "heart and soul" that made the original work special in the first place.
Our Approach
Rather than working from photographs alone, the team visited Helen Musselwhite's studio during the creation process. We gathered direct reference and measurements for faithful digital replication; a collaborative, artist-led process rather than a standard client handoff.
Early digital wireframes lost the handcrafted feel, they felt a bit smooth. To correct this, we increased texture detail, reduced the frame rate, and worked on our lighting to preserve the "homegrown" quality of the original sculptures.
The Solution
Two distinct 30-second TV advertisements over a 12-week production. One built for younger family audiences, one for adults. Plus supporting still photography by Jonathan Beer, reused across billboards and web content.
The Outcome
One production delivered two audience-specific broadcast spots and a full stills library that carried the campaign into out-of-home and digital. A single shoot doing multi-channel work.
What Edit said...
MightyGiant added a new dimension to the project and captured the energetic and immersive nature of the campaign.
Khadija Kapacee | Client Services Director @ Edit
The Craft
Direct studio visits with the original artist to gather accurate reference and measurements
Corrective technical work; texture, frame rate, lighting, specifically to preserve a handmade aesthetic that early digital passes had lost
Two full deliverables built for distinct audience segments from one underlying asset set
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