For an HP spot promoting its "E-Donor" technology recycling campaign, Brand New School creative director and founder Jonathan Notaro tapped a well of loneliness, mystery, and nostalgia. Working with agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Notaro developed a scenario that begins in a darkened garage, where an outmoded laptop sits atop a trash heap. When the computer falls to the floor and shatters into fragments, the pieces reassemble into a spiffy new tricycle. As the garage door opens, allowing sunlight to stream in, the tricycle rolls down the driveway and heads out into the neighborhood as the camera cranes overhead. Notaro managed to find a location that was close to the house where he grew up in Los Angeles, allowing him to tap his own memories to fill out the mood.
What made the job tricky was the fact that the spot needed to be fairly VFX-heavy without feeling VFX-heavy. (The aim of the piece is not to celebrate technology, but to give consumers positive associations with the feeling of recycling.) Further, the spot was filmed using a narrow depth of field that can be hard to match in animation work. In the end, the creative team found ways to get those images on screen without drawing attention to them. F&V visited Brand New School's New York offices to take a detailed look at the spot with director Notaro. Click below to watch the spot with an audio commentary on the visual elements, and read on for a Q&A about getting it done.
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