Case study
Stihl Garden Magic
Client: STIHL (GB)
Agency: BWP Group
The campaign
Stihl, the leading German garden power tool brand, is the original manufacturer of the world’s first petrol chainsaw. With a legacy dating back 100 years, Stihl created its first national television advert in the UK.
Inspired by The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the film focuses on an experienced mentor challenging a novice to tackle an overgrown garden. Like magic, the ‘apprentice’ conjures the Stihl tools to work for him, showing a power tool available for every purpose. BWP Group approached us to create this 60-second TV spot across Channel 4 with a budget of only £50,000.
What we did
Our team modelled and textured photorealistic 3D tools, animating various working parts like chains and blades. As part of our on-set VFX supervision, we match-moved all moving shots using track points placed on set.
The garden used for the shoot was meant to transform from messy and overgrown to pristine and well-kept. We combined matte paintings and CG grass to create the overgrown areas and the freshly mowed lawn seen in the final shots. Due to production limiting in-camera shots, sky replacements were needed for over half of the shots, which were mostly CG. As part of our post-production services, we handled all tool animation, lighting, rendering, composite, colour grading, sound design and final mixing.
The Results
Stihl’s TV advert was part of an integrated campaign that ran for five months. The final film was shown in 60-second hero spots and 30-second cutdowns across Channel 4/UKTV and sponsorship idents for four UKTV channels.
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