Cisco are at the cutting edge of technology. So taking the ‘cutting edge’ literally…armed with scalpels, scissors, crazy glue, building blocks, straws, and card we had a field day creating decades of office tech all out of bits of old card!

We’ve been on a bit of a craft roll since moving to our current studio in 2016, it has the blessing of a decent shooting space downstairs, so we’ve shot a number of projects, including Imaginary Friends for RPA, and Pretty Polly vid for Domino, all here at Trunk GHQ.

The Cisco film all centres around an office desk, lovingly made by retired boat builder Dave Perrin. As the set spins, the decades change, and so does the tech. We had great fun making loads of miniature typewriters, computers, pot plants, lever arch files, telephones, in/out trays and all the trappings of an office through the ages, in total over 100 different models were created.

Pete beautifully lit the tiny set to ensure that all the textures and personality of the props were captured. He also altered the lighting over the shoot, bathing the set in morning, afternoon and evening light to reiterate that passing of time. Animator John Harmer painstakingly moved and replaced each element to create the fantastic time-lapse effect, whilst Rok Predin built additional CG elements to weave in alongside the hand built models. Overall the piece has a wide range of textures and materials, which reflect Layla’s short film ‘Aftermath’, and which allows the film to have a sense of place, and a relatable feel.

This lovely handcrafted soft approach was a wonderful foil to the technological precise business of Cisco Systems Inc. The short helped to reach out to small and medium businesses that otherwise would have been wary of speaking to such a tech Goliath.

 

Composer Ivan Arnold built on the theme of ‘retro to contemporary’, by composing a track that in a way feels timeless, with a mix of acoustic and electric guitar, and a driving bass, it really drives the narrative forward. The formidable Barnaby Templer and Chris Swain @ Fonic created the sound design, and Lorraine Hodgson voiced the narrative.

We pushed the boat out on this project, looking to achieve that hand made feel that gives the warmth of the narrative, balanced with a high end production value that reflects the sophisticated nature of Cisco’s products. With a turnaround of just 5 weeks from start to finish, it meant that everyone had to pull together and really work hard. We had such amazing support from everyone working on the project from, crew, to agency, to client. That really makes the difference!’
Cisco | Green screen and motion control test