Airbnb Brings Paris To Life With a Charming Vintage Animation Technique
Handcrafted Scene Used 11,256 Parts and Took 2,340 Hours to Assemble
Editor's Pick
It's pretty easy to tap into travelers' nostalgia with clichés about Paris cafes, jazz clubs, flea markets and carousels. A new video from Airbnb uses all those settings but manages to be completely charming, thanks to its use of a pre-film animation device called a zoetrope.
For a video targeted at Asian markets, Airbnb created a tiny Paris using 11,256 miniature parts and 1,680 figurines. The 3D zoetrope technique makes them look as though they are moving. (Airbnb made a Behind the Scenes video for those curious about how the zoetrope works.)
There's also a live action aspect to the film, which was shot with four different actresses to personalize it for different markets. As the company pushes into China, there's already a local Airbnb imitator called Tujia that's reportedly valued at more than $1 billion. The video's strong storytelling and handcrafted vibe might be a way to cast Airbnb as the go-to platform for travelers looking for authenticity.
The video is the work of Yippee Ki-Yay, specialists in models and miniature sets, Photoplay Film, TBWASingapore and Six Toes TV. Airbnb has tapped into a similar handspun vibe before, using a model train set in a film from TBWASingapore and production house Cirkus.
Credits
- Date
- Sep 21, 2015
- Agency :
- TBWA/Singapore
- Head of Marketing :
- Matthias Schuecking
- Creative Director :
- Gary Steele
- Senior Copywriter :
- Elrid Carvalho
- Senior Art Director :
- Uni Lee
- Group Account Director :
- Mandy Wong
- Account Director :
- Joyce Wong
- Agency Producer :
- Haydn Evans
- Producer :
- Allison Gay
- Production Company :
- Photoplay Films
- Production Company :
- Six Toes
- Director :
- Norman Yeend
- Director :
- Scott Otto-Anderson
- Executive Producer :
- Oliver Lawrance
- Executive Producer :
- Haydn Evans
- Producer :
- Emma Thompson
- Director, Photography :
- Jonathan Rossiter
- Production Designer :
- Annie Beauchamp
- Model Maker :
- Simon Ingerson / Yippeekiyay
- Post Production :
- Cutting Edge
- Post Producer :
- James Rose
- Editor :
- Simon Njoo
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