MPC helps create a Tiffany-inspired Santa's workshop in magical holiday campaign
When Laird & Partners wanted to create an extraordinary spot for Tiffany & Co.’s eagerly anticipated holiday campaign, they partnered up with MPC once again to help bring their vision to life. Anonymous Content’s Mark Romanek directed the spot, which is best described as “Alice in Wonderland” meets “Santa’s Workshop”.
We are introduced to actress Zoe Kravitz as a sales assistant who is closing the store and is lured towards the flashing heart of a 10-foot robot made from the brand’s signature boxes. She climbs inside and falls through a void, landing in a bustling workshop complete with oversized Tiffany jewelry, the brand’s resident miniature ‘silvermen’, and a very interesting “Mad Hatters” tea party. Other special guests throughout the spot include models Naomi Campbell, Karen Elson, Xiao Wen Ju and Maye Musk, and actor Brad Calcaterra.
We worked closely with Romanek throughout the process, and Ashley Bernes, MPC’s Creative Director, described the collaborative process: “Working with Mark Romanek was great – he had a very clear direction on what he wanted things to look like,” adding, “We had pretty robust footage to work with, and as most of the environments were built on set and shot in camera, it was a case of bringing the spot to life.” He also commented on the creative process with the agency: “Our existing relationship with the agency meant that we were given the bandwidth to be more creative and offer up suggestions and solutions along the way.”
MPC’s main focus was to create the magic and holiday sparkle within the existing shots, including Kravitz’s magical transition from the real world to the fantasy world, where MPC created the void of pulsing signature blue light that she is falling through amongst the various other Tiffany objects.
The team also created the oversized animated Tiffany jewelry completely in CG. Ashley said: “It was really important for us to make the products look the best they possibly could be, even when oversized. We shot the real jewelry in camera to give us a guide on the shape, detail and lighting, especially looking at how the lighting reflects off of the intricate shapes and curves of the pieces. This enabled us to make the larger versions of the jewelry look as beautiful and realistic as possible.”
The keymaker scene featuring Brad Calcaterra as the locksmith was also made possible by the team – they created a larger-than-life gold Tiffany key on an oversized key grinding machine, complete with dazzling specks of gold bouncing off of the key and flying around as it is being crafted. The key is a giant version of the stunning charm hanging from Kravitz’s necklace.
In addition to the CG work, MPC also handled the beauty and finishing, drawing attention to the tiffany jewelry, in a subtle yet eye-catching way. The team also made enhancements to the alcove sets, adding sparks and light flares to enhance the magic of this alternate world even further. Rob Walker, VFX Supervisor, emphasized the importance of the finishing for a brand such as Tiffany: “We were tasked with embellishing the Tiffany world, where everything in this world should be pristine, beautiful, and an embodiment of everything the brand stands for. We also wanted the beauty work on the talent to feel natural and real.”
The grade, by MPC’s James Tillett, enhanced the beauty of the spot even further, bringing out the stunning pops of colors throughout. James said: "Mark and the DP Adam produced some wonderful footage for me to work with. The spot was shot on Arri’s flagship Alexa 65 camera which was a real treat to grade. We worked remotely with Adam and Mark to find the right tone for the fantasy environment which was then further refined with ECD Trey Laird in NY, all the while taking care to respect the famous Tiffany blue and the sheen and sparkle of the jewelry."
The epic spot is a continuation of the previous ‘Believe in Dreams’ campaign featuring Elle Fanning, which MPC also worked on earlier this year. Matthew Loranger, MPC’s Executive Producer on both campaigns, explains the importance of working with high-end brands such as Tiffany: “Our work in the finishing and beauty industry is very quickly expanding, and working with Tiffany gives us the opportunity to really show off our finishing capabilities. We’re also delighted to be teaming up with Laird + Partners again on such an exciting global campaign.”
