Change your ‘Winter Behaviour’ This Christmas

Teaming up with MullenLowe, UNIT delivers the post-production for the new Government Ventilation commercial, Winter Behaviour.

With Christmas fast approaching, it’s a time for family and friends to get together and share in the festivities of the holiday season. This spot reminds us that COVID-19 is still a threat and to limit the risk of catching the virus, opening windows regularly to ventilate the environment is key. 

The TVC features numerous shots from different in-house settings, with at least one person in each shot having COVID-19. These individuals are seen breathing out COVID particles which then linger in the air, building up over time. The final shot shows some unconventional ‘Winter Behaviour’ with the windows being opened, which then disperses the particles, encouraging us all to do the same. 

UNIT’s 2D team, led by Jonathon Box, attended a 3-day studio shoot around London to help guide the VFX process and collaborated with MullenLowe and the Director, Tom Speers, to create a stylised visualisation of how COVID particles build up in our homes.

Due to the current global situation, the UK Government were keen to get this commercial onto television as soon as possible, which meant that the turnaround time from approved edit to project delivery was short. UNIT’s Head of CG, Suraj ‘Sid’ Harrington-Odedra, comments on the quick turnaround, illuminating the benefits of our ‘all under one roof’ facility:

Working with the Director, Tom Speers, and 2D Supervisor, Jonathan Box, we developed a method by which the majority of shots were populated with a pre-rendered element provided by the 3D team, alongside some novel uses of filmed 2D elements. 3D elements were created for two main purposes: filling a room with COVID particles, and another element for the particles breathed out by the actors. This meant that the 3D team were able to concentrate on providing the more difficult bespoke simulations for the shots where the particles dispersed via doors and windows, resulting in the entire team of artists, both 2D and 3D, being able to work in tandem from the get-go, allowing us to deliver in the short time frame.”

Sid Harrington-Odedra

CREDITS:

Agency: Mullenlowe
Agency Producer: Oliver Featherman
Creatives: Jane Briers & Dave Cornmell
Account Director: Jack Cowie
Account Manager: Imogen Harvey

Production Company: Smuggler London Limited
Director: Tom Speers
Producer: Nick Sutherland-Dodd
DOP: Daniel Landin
Production Manager: Polly Leach
Production Assistant: Becca Stovold

2D Lead: Jonathon Box
Nuke:  Scott Ryan, Leire Lizarraga Sanz & Pramod Nirwan
3D Lead: Suraj ‘Sid’ Harrington-Odedra
3D Animation: Ola Madsen
Grade: Denny Cooper
Producer: Tania De Sousa & Isabella Wakley