Action Flo
This was a really fun project - the brief was to mimic the 1980s-style openings to toy-based animated TV shows like G.I. Joe - the twist being that the product is a fictional doll based on the 'Flo' character from Progressive Insurance.
Client
Services
Brickyard VFX/Progressive Insurance
Direction, Storyboards,
2D animation and Composite
The folks at Brickyard VFX produced this ersatz toy commercial, bringing a lot of humor to the concept. The design was based on real Flo toys produced for Progressive, which you can see in the process video above (I did not make these toys, although I wish I had!).
For the 2D animation, we wanted to pack as much as possible into our 5-second intro, which features 5 separate Flo characters driving through a 1980s-style desert landscape before finally arriving (thrillingly) at the logo.
I enjoyed working with Brickyard in conceiving the overall look as well as planning out the action sequence, which is designed to take place in a single shot, with the camera dynamically moving to focus on the main character (Contractor Flo). The animation was built in stages - vehicles, characters, backgrounds and effects (rubble, dust and shadows). Credit to the amazing Daniel Sousa for his outstanding 2D work.
Also visible in the process video above is our 3D reference pass for the vehicles, which allowed us to keep our intended style while maintaining perspective on 5 different vehicles. You can view the complete spot below:
