Suspect brings relief to DraftFCB & Eucerin

From SUSPECT CD/VFX Artist: Tim Crean

This project was a terrific challenge for us here at SUSPECT. On a technical level we had to really push ourselves to come up with a rock solid plan for shooting and post production, but more importantly, we had to solve the aesthetic riddle of what a 'metaphorical' sweater actually looks like. Our initial exploration yielded numerous solutions, but ultimately this effect had to be sophisticated and non-threatening while still conveying a level of irritability and discomfort that only Eucerin could cure. The look and feel of the effect we arrived at was the result of an exhaustive design phase and several meetings with the agency creatives. Once the look was set, the wheels were set in motion for production. We underwent quite a bit of R&D to hammer out a shooting method. We needed vast amounts of 3D tracking information for our CG team, but we also needed a plan that wouldn't slow down production, and most importantly, allow the director to improvise on set to get what she needed to tell the story.

A crucial element of the effect was during the shots our principal talent actually interacted with the sweater by tugging at it. Any attempt to fake the action of pulling and scratching at that invisible sweater we knew was going to look staged and unrealistic. We devised a system that utilized several practical props. We then attached it to the talent, and when she pulled, stretched and scratched at them, it gave us great 'real world' interaction that we fit our CG sweater into. Although the props had to be painstakingly removed in post, the tension that we created in those actions looked real and ultimately went a long way towards making the effect look fantastic. In addition, while supervising the shoot in Sao Paulo, Brazil, our talent was 3D body-scanned, outfitted with numerous tracking markers and exact site measurements were taken all in an effort to guide our 3D match moving as accurately as possible. Anniken has directed some amazing fashion/ beauty spots and the DP, Daniel Pearl, shot the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as the 2003 remake, so we all knew this collaboration was going to yield some amazing imagery. SUSPECT was really honored to be a hard working part of this creative project.