The London studio “The Mill“, in more than nine months, created the CGI version of Bruce Lee. To achieve an optimal result, the team is also with the help of Bruce’s daughter, Shannon Lee, to ensure that everything is flawless, from the appearance to the soul of the character.
The Mill helped director Joseph Kahn shield the art master to sponsor the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whiskey brand. In the spot, in fact, we find various close-ups of Bruce Lee intent on talking and walking.
Il making of:
The creative team was led by 2D lead artist Andy Dill and 3D lead artists Sam Driscoll and Francois Roisin, lead modeller Dan Moore and lead animator Carlos Fraiha. The team worked closely with Johnny Tan reviewing hours and hours of Bruce’s stock footage, selecting tons of images from multiple different angles.
Lo spot:
The director pointed out that this commercial is not about the pleasure of drinking or even the fact that Bruce has ever talked about this. The commercial is a short film inspired by Johnnie Walker and interpreting it as a simple comparison between water and alcohol is wrong. The commercial is a metaphor for life: Alcohol does not want to be water. And it’s not just an advertisement it’s an exploration and celebration of a legendary character.
CREDITS
Client: Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Director: Joseph Kahn
Cinematographer: Christopher Probst
Agency: BBH, Johnny Tan Creative Director
Agency Producer: BBH, Krystie Koh
Line Producer: Merrilyn Lim, Gravity Films
Executive Producer HSI Productions: Kim Dellara
Music: Brain & Melissa
VFX: The Mill, London
