“Our agency had previous experience with Post Asylum as a shop that could both develop and execute the high-end, engaging content I was looking for,” said Wasilition. “I met with the PA team to share our brand’s story and message, and they really just took it from there.”
The facility’s design/VFX team explored different visual approaches to convey Tenneyson’s message of beauty and sophistication mixed with the mystery that surrounds absinthe. “We explored several animation and motion design options but kept coming back to the elegant bottle made of painted French glass and the way it pours crystal clear and becomes an opalescent louche when water is added,” said Post Asylum design/VFX artist Alex Prudic-Dennis. “So we ultimately decided to capture high-speed live action product shots and brought in our long-time production partner, Ben Hoffman of Noonday Pictures.”
Post Asylum producer Caroline Stephens and Prudic-Dennis worked closely with Hoffman to compose and capture compelling product visuals with a Phantom Flex camera.
Editor Caitlin Van Dusen handled the creative editorial. Pure Evil music composer Aaron Rose scored original music to complement the dramatic imagery. “It’s so advantageous to have our own editors and composers collaborating from the very beginning,” said Stephens. “It allows us to be more efficient and explore more creative options along the way.”
Post Asylum finish/VFX artist Michael Sands completed the color and compositing work in Smoke. The hand labeled Tenneyson bottle is monochromatic save for a small wink of blue on the verso of the label, so subtle blue motion design and highlights were composited in Smoke to enhance this color as a unifying brand signature throughout the spot.
“With our depth and breadth of experienced in-house talent, we have the unique ability to scramble a ‘creative strike force’ to effectively produce projects like this,” said Post Asylum executive producer Graham Hagood.
