Eight VFX Goes a Long Way for One ‘Drop’ of Bavaria Beer

eight vfx logoSometimes the tiniest objects can present the greatest challenges. Such is the case with "The Drop," a new spot for Bavaria Beer directed by Matthijs van Heijningen (Bonkers/Amsterdam) via Selmore, and featuring extensive work from Eight VFX.

The spot tells the tale of a single drop of water making its way from one of the purest wells in the world to a tap of Bavaria Beer. On its journey, our little drop faces myriad challenges, trying to remain pure amidst tough terrain and bad weather, before it can be mixed with hopps and wheat. He even experiences a very close call with a predatory spider. No spoilers here, though; you have to watch the spot to find out how our valiant hero’s journey ends.

"We really tried to inject emotion into this drop of water," says VFX Supervisor Vania Alban-Zapata. "Of course, a drop of water has no features, so animating the emotion was fun and challenging."

Indeed, as we follow "The Drop" on his adventure, we really get a sense of his determination – and his apprehension as he comes up against a vicious paraphidippus. Both the water and the spider were based on detailed photos and recreated in CG. "Just shooting photos of the spider was difficult," Alban-Zapata says. "Not only was he tiny, but the paraphidippus is a jumping spider and if you’re not careful he’ll jump right onto the camera."

"Matthijs is very precise, wanting a very naturalistic study of this story," says Alban-Zapata of the visual treatment and tone of the piece. "We spent a lot of time on pre-vis, working together from day one to last day, three months later. We were very true to Matthijs’ vision and he was very true to our previsualization." 

"The Drop" was shot on location in Slovenia, where Eight’s Yann Mallard was on set; in addition to creating the droplet and spider, Eight VFX was called upon to do 3D sculpting, matte painting of the local vistas, foliage, and other environments, and to create an all-CG cave.

The drop and its surroundings have a unique relationship in the commercial, given the fact that each image involves both reflection and refraction. "When you look at a drop of water, you see both the reflection on the outside and the refraction on the inside – that is, a reverse image of the surrounding environment," explains Alban-Zapata. In layman’s terms, that means every time the drop changes position, both the inside and outside appearance of the drop must change with it. In close-up, the result is a fascinating microcosm visible inside the drop, with the background out of focus but matching the inner image.

"For us, the spot was about giving life to a drop of water and a spider," concludes Eight VFX Executive Producer Baptiste Andrieux. "It’s alchemy, in a way, and we’re very proud of what we created."

DOWNLOAD "The Drop"

Agency: Selmore
Art Director: Jarr Geerligs
Copywriter: Kim Triesscheijn
Account: Olivier Koning, Floor Schroeiers
Client: Marco van Bilsen, Frenkel Denie, Peer Swinkels, Mathieu Veldhuijzen

VFX: Eight VFX
VFX EP: Baptiste Andrieux
VFX Supervisor: Vania Alban-Zapata
AD, Shoot Supervision and Matte Painting: Yann Mallard
Compositors: Nicolas Cadorette Vigneau, Jean-Marc Demmer, MC
Animators: Freddy Burgos, Chien-I Kao
CG Artists: Giancarlo Lari, Shuichi Nakamara, Mathias Jourdes, Raphael Protti
Digital Integration: Yannick Leblanc
Roto Artists: Marianne Magne, Joe Chiao
VFX Producer: Marsi Frey

Production: Bonkers
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen
Executive Producer: Saskia Kok
Producer: Daan Hofman

Sound: FC Walvisch
Music: Massive Music
Post Production: HecticElectric, MacGyver
Editor: Jono Griffith, Michael Horvers

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