Bazan | TV Campaign

Approached by BBR Saatchi agency, BlackBoard was tasked with creating the new brand ambassador for one of Israel’s largest energy companies Bazan, creating a full CGI flock of pelicans led by a charismatic leader.

Case Study

With 5 Gold Lion awards, 2 Clios and a Silver One Show Pencil, BBR Saatchi & Saatchi is one of Israel's most award-winning advertising agencies. The agency is part of the Saatchi & Saatchi global network and Publicis Groupe.

BBR Saatchi & Saatchi was engaged by Bazan (formerly Oil Refineries Ltd.) to create a commercial for the Israeli market conveying the company’s success in reducing emissions to the lowest in Western Europe. The energy producer invested more than 1 Billion Shekels (c. US $300 Million) to reduce emissions by 90%. “We saw BlackBoard Studio’s 3D work and knew they were appropriate for the project,” said Iris Israeli, Head of Production.

The Biggest Challenges

Meeting a Challenging Deadline. The timetable was our most difficult obstacle and BlackBoard was able to work within the tight time frame. The studio had just under one month to produce the commercial – a project that would normally take twice that long. The team worked simultaneously on aspects of the project that are typically done sequentially.

Technical Challenges. Making the animation look realistic was a real test of our skills in this area. We had to perfect 3D simulations of the birds’ feathers, the wind moving the bandana fabric and the hair on the lead bird behind his goggles. In addition, the studio needed aerial photos over the refinery, but it is located near an airport which required us to schedule the imaging with the Air Traffic Controllers. By the time we finally got permission to send in our drone, the weather was hazy! We rushed back to the studio to remove the haze and glare and enhance the actual photos before layering the animated birds over the real footage.