The purpose of the film was to promote the launch of Vodafone's Neo smartwatch for kids – aimed at helping them explore the world safely, under their own steam. With that in mind, we wanted to bring to life the world as kids see it – full of fantasy and adventure – which exists in parallel with the 'regular' world occupied by us adults.
The challenge – from a production standpoint – was to do this with no visual effects whatsoever. Everything had to be achieved in camera.
Through clever lighting and propping – and an awesome set design team who were fresh from working on Netflix series, The Crown – our director, Steven Hore worked his magic with the £100k budget to achieve things that both Vodafone and Disney were proud of. So much so, that the film ran as a TVC in various countries – having been commissioned purely as a launch film.
Shot over three days, in lockdown London, the film is an example of what you can achieve with limited budget, an imaginative team and a sense of adventure.
It was part of a wider campaign including photography, a CGI film and media partnership – helping propel Neo to impressive sales, straight out of the box.