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The concept that Kyle developed with the Martin Agency was a simple one - to literally show a dinner setting transform into a beautiful Country landscape, complete with farm pastures, using the always present butter tub as the trigger device. He worked with a team of expert crafts people to create the charming miniature table sized farm-scape which comes to life through the magic of stop motion animation. Drawing parallels with the spreadable nature of the butter itself, the farm pieces glide smoothly over the tabletop and come together like a jigsaw puzzle.
The film needed to convey two key concepts: the farm-to-table aspect of the Land O'Lakes product, and the easy, spreadable nature of the butter. Both of these imply a certain degree of simplicity and easygoingness, which the visual narrative needed to mirror. Luckily, Kyle is the breezy master of taking atomic details and turning them into subject matter that's simple on the surface, but bubbling beneath with complex intentionality. From set to subtext, textures to technique, every single detail has a precision and a purpose that adds to the narrative in an almost imperceptible but incredibly important way.
The seamless interplay between live action and stop frame animation is what brings the dual-concept narrative to life. The fabricated farm scene set atop a real-world dining table represents the farm-to-table messaging, just as the unfurling of the miniature world crops alludes to the way butter curls as you spread it. These subtle, but powerful, visual metaphors are further testament to the impact and role that first-rate directorial decisions can achieve. In this case, as is often the case with Kyle, all of the technical and creative decisions were spot on.
Director Kyle Bean
Agency The Martin Agency
Production Co. Hornet Inc.
Executive Producer Hana Shimizu
Head of Production Sang-Jin Bae
Development Producer Kristin Labriola
Producer Dez Stavracos
Line Producer (live-action) Patrick Duguid
Editor Ezra Sumner
PRE PRODUCTION
Storyboard Artist Elena Manetta
Set Designer Kyle Bean
Style Frames Bryan Lashelle
Sign Typography Design Nicholas Fredrickson
LIVE ACTION
Director Kyle Bean
Line Producer Patrick Duguid
Assistant Director Ezra Sumner
Director of Photography Toby Howell
VFX Supervisor John Mattiuzzi
Food Stylist Lucy Ruth Hathaway
Food Stylist Assistant Lizzie Wedderburn
1st AC Jon Mitchell
1st AC stop motion Max Halstead
Gaffer Robin Brigham
Electric & Grip Paul Burns, Rob Stewart
Stop Motion Animator Andy Biddle
Stop Motion Animator Assistant Luke George
Animation Rigger Robin Jackson
Production Designer Jack Kirby
Lead Model Maker Tim Warren
Model Maker Emma Rose Dade, Victoria Lees
Art Dept. Assistant Henry Rollins
Model Maker Trainee Jason Larcombe
Script Supervisor Jane Fryers
VTR Chaz Northam
DIT Vlad Martins
Production Manager Katie Keith
Production Assistant Charlie Jones
Production Runner Charlie Doris
Studio Manager Elizabeth Day
Catering Konrad Lindholm
Talent Agency Hired Hands
Talent Mirabel Stuart
POST-PRODUCTION
Lead Compositor John Mattiuzzi
Compositor Rachel Rardin, John Stanch, Xiaoxiao Tang
Colorist Evan Kultangwatana
AUDIO
Audio Post Facility Rainmaker
Producer Kristin O’Connor
Sound Designer and Mixer Mike O’Connor
Custom Music Lullatone
AGENCY
SVP, Executive Creative Director Andy Azula
SVP, Creative Director Anne-Marie Hite
Associate Creative Director Tara Gorman
Senior Copywriter Lassiter Stone
Executive Producer Pamela Mahan
VP, Group Account Director Carey Ely
Account Supervisor Sarah Smith
Junior Content Producer M.A. Williams
Project Manager Stephanie Strickland Ashworth
Financial Affairs Manager Elizabeth Moore
Business Affairs Supervisor Alice Isner
CLIENT
Chief Marketing Officer Tim Scott
Director, Integrated Marketing Julia Anderla
Marketing Director Catherine Fox
Director, Test Kitchens Becky Wahlund
“My approach is to distill an idea and simplify visuals so that we allow our core message to shine through in a smart way.”
