Tic Tac : Little Adventures

The Martin Agency approached us to work on their latest “Go Little” campaign for Tic Tac called Little Adventures. The idea was to create four 30-second web spots featuring miniature worlds wherein Tic Tacs have wild adventures. The storylines featured a Tic Tac riding over a large waterfall in a barrel, cage diving with sharks, jumping across the Grand Canyon and a space capsule crash landing on Mars. The ridiculous situations aimed to be funny and imply a bit of danger for the hero candy.

With wonderful guidance from the Martin Agency, the director, and the DP, Kathleen and I created the four sets, the backdrops, and all of the props for the Tic Tacs. They provided detailed storyboards and a list of the necessary props for the action. Within those parameters, we were allowed to design and build the sets as we saw fit. The height of the Tic Tac, approximately 1cm tall, set the scale for all the scenes. We had roughly a month for building the sets and were on set four days for filming. The production agency, Hue and Cry, supplied the stock footage and added additional computer effects.

Falls- This scene need to have rushing water, a toolbox with removable tools, a hollow barrel and removable helmet for the Tic Tac. We used standard model materials for creating the landscape and water elements. They were made in separate sections so the water could be manually pushed to provide “rushing water”. The toolbox and tools are scratch built. The helmet is turned plastic.

Jump- This needed cars at two different scales and three separate interiors for detail shots. The landscape was adjustable in height and depth. Kathleen and I got to flex our practical effects muscles here with the skidding car and clouds of dust.

Shark- This required multiple cages (two of the designs needed to be raised and lowered), the boat needed to rock, and the Tic Tac needed a snorkel and diving mask. Holes in the ocean allowed for me to be under the table maneuvering the boat and for Kathleen to raise and lower the various cages on a wire. The snorkel and diving mask are scratch built and could be removed and placed on different Tic Tac pills.

Space-This scene needed a very small space capsule, a detailed capsule interior (with lights) and exterior door, and an alien-looking landscape. The small capsule is turned plastic with additions to the surface. The landscape was in multiple sections and heavily textured. A fog machine added the smoke inside the capsule and at the crash site. To see all four videos, scroll below.

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