Braun and Aardman Introduce ‘Beardimation’

Braun – the manufacturer of some of the world’s most-loved shaving and styling products – has partnered with Academy Award-winning studio, Aardman to create a stop motion animation film using real men’s beards. Created to mark the launch of the brand new Braun Styling Range, the Braun Beardimation video uses advanced stop frame animation to take the viewer on a journey of eye-catching shapes, patterns and designs as they are etched into facial and body hair using the Braun styling tools. The video features faces, heads and chests of over 50 men to convey a scintillating story of precision that inspires creativity when it comes to shaving.

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Aardman– best known for characters such as Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Morph – created the film by combining together the sequence of still images to create the illusion of movement. As with all stop motion projects, the Braun Beardimation film was all about planning. All creative designs were aligned in a way that allowed the pattern to move effortlessly from one frame to the next, and projection guides for the animators were lined up well in advance of filming.

“There is a lot of planning when it comes to creating a stop motion animation video. Stop motion doesn’t have an ‘undo’ button like CGI or 2D animation so it needs to be done right the first time,” explains Aardman’s Will Studd, director of the Braun Beardimation video.

Studd admits that the brief was very original and piqued his interest immediately. “What I liked most about this project was that it was a new way of approaching animation. From a design point of view, I really love that this was a graphic design project realised in stop-motion; it’s a 2D project achieved in a 3D world,” Predictably, the Braun Beardimation project presented a number of challenges to the team who had no experience of working with human hair. “There were a lot of ‘firsts’ for me with this project,” explains Studd. “It was the first time I had worked with beards as my canvas so there was a lot of research into hair density, hair tightness, and hair growth patterns. It was also the first time I had ever changed the physical appearance of my models by cutting their hair. It was much more intimate than I have ever been to any other models that I have filmed with before.”

“We had some challenges with registration – lining animation up whilst projecting the guides onto the faces and beards – as humans tends to move a fair bit more than puppets or clay! Because of this, the rigging has been really original; we have never had to rig in the way we have for this project so there’s been a lot of experimentation.”

Andreas Leibundgut, Assistant Brand Manager for Braun Male Power Grooming Global commented, “We are very excited to partner with Aardman on this unique piece of work. Braun has never undertaken a partnership like this one before and we are really pleased with the final result –the video perfectly demonstrates how a man’s face is the canvas to express his style. Our hope for this campaign is that it will inspire men to be creative and experiment with their looks, and we think it will do just that.”

In addition to award-winning stop motion animation, world-renowned electronic music artist Gramatik provides a musical backdrop to the video with his excusive track, produced especially for Braun Beardimation. Holding true to his distinct musical style, the upbeat track features a unique combination of soul, house, and funk influences.

Also featuring in the Braun Beardimation video are a selection of Instagram influencers who are known around the globe for their enviable facial hair. Male models Andrea Hamman, Chris John Millington and Luke Ditella lent their facial hair to creative barbers to use as the canvass for their artistic designs.

Beardimation film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpYzbjGFkqc
Director, Behind the Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY3CnPnn45g
Stylist, Behind the Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckReVLhvtxc
Influencers/Models, Behind the Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAUwXZKi-iM

Media contact:
Aardman
Anna Lewis
anna.lewis@aardman.com
0117 3071318

Downloads:

Credits:

Client: Procter & Gamble International Operations, P&G Braun,
Marketing Director: Alessandra Dolfini

Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
Producer: Christina Hermann
Creatives: Jeremy Tribe & Prabhu Wignarajah

Production Company: Aardman Animations
Director: Will Studd
Producer: Stephanie Owen
Production Manager: James Whetherley
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Hague
Storyboard Artist: Matt Lloyd
Consultant Stylist: Sean Holmes
Stylists: Chris Foster, Ryan MacGregor, Yaseen Sumum
Animator 3: Justin Smith
Directors of Photography: Sam Morris, Jeremy Hogg
Camera Assistants: Joe Maxwell, Beth MacDonald, Adam Cook
Studio Manager: Nathan Sale
Electrician: Andy Woodland
Rigger: Craig Atkinson
Engineer: Lew Gardiner
Make-up Artist: Grace Kingsley
Runner: Sam Horton
CGI Supervisor: Ben Toogood
Senior Post Production Supervisor: Jim Lewis
Head of Post Production: Bram Ttwheam
Post Artists: Jon Biggins, Spencer Cross, Fernando Lechuga, Neil Scholes, Daniel Binder, Gary Kelly, Benito Sanz
Editors: Dan Hembery, Ben Craske
Behind the Scenes Interviewer/Editor: Ben Dowden

About Aardman:

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio’s work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercial productions.
www.aardman.com

About Braun:

Braun, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble founded in Germany in 1921, develops and manufactures a wide variety of small domestic appliances that marry technical innovation, reliable quality and distinctive design. These range from electric shavers and beauty products to hair care appliances. Braun products enjoy worldwide distribution. Please visit http://www.braun.com for the latest news and in-depth information about the Braun brand.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves nearly five billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Duracell®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.