So everyone's gone Olympic mad, and yes the sport is great, the Opening Ceremony was incredible and I'll be cheering on Great Britain all the way. But I can't stop thinking about some of the brilliant animation that we get treated to from the BBC supporting and advertising the Olympics - both Summer and Winter. The BBC seem to have a real knack for commissioning the right designers/artists/animators for the job as each animation accurately captures the spirit of the hosting country's envision for their Olympic Games.
Therefore, my nerdy need to compile a list of the most recent three has won out. So, counting backwards through the last few years, here goes..
..London 2012, Passion Pictures, Director: Pete Candeland
Let's start with the most recent. The advert is set in various landscapes around the British Isles - showing the heart and beauty of this country as a backdrop to the sport, which is something that all of the 2012 artistic directors seem to be aiming for with this Olympics. The characters capture the diversity of the competitors whilst some even appear to be loosely based on some of the actual athletes that we'll be expecting to see (surely there's no denying which Jamaican runner they were trying to suggest taking the lead in the sprint section).
The music 'First Steps', created specifically for the BBC by Elbow, who worked with the BBC Philharmonic, is the sound of building empowerment and inspiration - which simply reiterates the ethos of 'Inspire a generation'.
Visit Passion Pictures website here.
..Vancouver 2010, StudioAKA, Director: Marc Craste
Dark, slick and broody this animation's black and white style is highly memorable.The 40 second story shows an Inuit hero who goes to rescue the sacred stone from the grasps of a large bear. Along the way he uses a range of the Winter Olympic disciplines - from snowboarding to curling, via skeleton, slalom and ski-jumping. At the end of the sequence the stone flies through the air and lands to create the Vancouver 2010 Olympic logo.
Set to the powerful opening of Buble's 'Cry Me A River' the whole package builds up anticipation and excitement for Vancouver's Winter Olympics.
Visit StudioAKA's website here.
..Beijing 2008, Jamie Hewlett & Damon Albarn
Created by the guys who gave the world the Gorrilaz, this quirky animation, set amongst the Chinese landscape, captures the traditional heart of China whilst bringing it into the contemporary. Monkey, the lead character, is based on the traditional Chinese mythological stories, particularly 'The Monkey King'. Through the two-minute story Monkey and his friends Pigsy and Sandy head on a "Journey to the East" for the summer - inspired by the classical Chinese novel "Journey to the West". The trio run through the landscape, battling mythical beasts on the way, whilst partaking in several of the Olympic events.
The music is a dynamic mix of the traditional vocal sound of China, sung in Mandarin Chinese, and modern day electronic sounds. This charming advert captured the essence of the Chinese Olympic Games perfectly.
