Honda

Environmental PSAs

While 3D animation in movies can be time-consuming and costly, 3D animation on a smaller scale can make the production of a commercial or high-end promo more efficient. Instead of hiring multiple crew members, equipment, and actors for several days of shooting, 3D animation allows Pathlight to create virtual scenes that can often illustrate stories better than live action.

Client Case Study

In preparation for the launch of the new 2009 Insight hybrid car, Honda wanted to make the Asian American community aware of environmentally-friendly alternatives to daily needs, such as transportation, energy, and food. Honda planned to air 10 different public service announcements on LA 18 (KSCI) during a span of 2 weeks.

LA 18 came to Pathlight suggesting that we shoot these commercials using live action footage from around Los Angeles. However, the deadline was tight. We were notified of the project just a week prior to the first airing. We had a rolling deadline but we realized that would not be enough time to gather the appropriate footage for high-quality, effective commercial spots.

We offered LA 18 a solution. Over the next three weeks, we would write the scripts and produce the spots using 100% 3D animation. It sounded like a risky proposition but we felt that using 3D animation would afford us much greater control over visuals and convey a stronger message than with live action footage shot guerilla-style.

Since we had limited time, we employed simple texturing and rendering techniques. While that didn't lend to much photo-realism, it did give us a more claymation-like feel, which worked well for the tone of the spots.

In the end, we completed all 10 environmental spots on schedule, with creative and visual qualities far exceeding the expectations of LA 18 and Honda.