A Genius Fit with Hush Puppies - Animated TVC Case Study

Our friends at Brand Collective reached out to work on this exciting Cinema 4D project for Hush Puppies - Genius Fit. Representing the Genius Fit footbed, Jumbla wanted to create a piece that doesn't only look amazing, but makes you feel the benefits of this cuddly yet stable footbed.

Swiftly bouncing between brightly coloured scenes, the GenuisFit footbed's three core ideas are showcased; it's cushion dome, it's arch support and it's heel cuddle. This is done by paring abstract shapes imitating modern shoe ergonomics with realistic textures. The structure of the film is simple in that each component is segregated, allowing us to focus on each idea individually.

Cinema 4D is the most common 3D software used by Motion Graphic artists as it is geared specifically to designers, as opposed to other software such as Maya and 3D Studio, that are targeted more towards film production, characters design, or product design.

Cinema 4D has various tools such as cloners, replicators and dynamic engines built into the software that are very fast to use, allowing designers to create scenes quickly. A good example of this is the very first shot of the Hush Puppies commercial, showing the footbed landing on a cushion / pillow. Dynamics can simulated when the footbed collides with the large pillow to give us a more realistic animation, which would be very difficult to achieve manually.

Using these types of realistic techniques also helps to connect with the audience, as they can better relate to the animation on an emotional level. The ‘feeling’ of this animation was very important as we wanted the user to instantly feel, on an intuitive level, the specific messages that needed to be communicated. The viewer should ‘feel’ the cushion dome, the arch support, the heel cuddle, not just see it.

As this is only a short animation, textures, animation and visual composition all play a role in creating the desired emotional feeling. Although this is an abstract and stylised piece it is necessary to get the materials and textures feeling realistic to communicate each scene instantly. Cushion dome should be made primarily of materials that people would associate with the the words soft and comfortable, whereas arch support should feel more sturdy and durable.

Polishing off this TVC and social media campaign, Jumbla utilised the best of playful music, sound design and animation to capture the essence of HushPuppies new campaign. With diligent attention to detail from initial storyboards and moodboards, through to animation, compositing, light and final rendering, this film is an achievement for the Cinema 4D team here at Jumbla.