Every year around the holidays, the world of video game Clash celebrates Clashmas…except this year, thanks to someone in the Clash universe who usually doesn’t get too much attention: The Log. Despite being wood and tree-like, The Log was never getting the love and adoration other trees were getting during Clashmas. With this new spot, “No More CLASHMAS?!”–directed by Trevor Conrad of Psyop for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.–The Log finally gets its day in the sun.
Credits
Client Clash Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Eric Baldwin, executive creative director; Jarrod Higgins, Lawrence Melilli, creative directors; Katie Willis, art director; Ryan Snyder, copywriter; Jane Monaghan, creative manager; Heather Smith Harvey, Robert Saxon, executive producers; Ricara Stokes, producer; Britton Taylor, Indiane Matine, Katie Dyer, strategy; Mike Weihs, Scott Meisse, studio design. VFX/Production Psyop Trevor Conrad, director; Amanda Miller, exec producer; Jacob Markson, sr. producer; Hanna Stolarski, sr. assistant producer; Chancelor Griffin, assistant producer; Cem Alpay, Michael Deweese, Misha Opiev, Tobias Trebelijahr, Ana Bernaus, designers; Brady Doyle, 2D lead TD; Dylan Broan, Krystal Chinn, Michael Dobbs, Kevin Jones, Tingting Li, Katja Wimmer, compositors; Isaac Irvin, 3D lead TD; Marina Czarnecki, Dennys Herman, Ryan Kirkwood, Logan Pittman, Sean Rivet, Ieva Sauciunaite, Amanda Sparso, lighters; Alan Yang, asset lead TD; Ellie Stalie, Marina Czarnecki, Bryan Eck, Greg Gutkin, Mia Pray, Shreeya Shetye, Dennys Herman, Brian Kim, model & texture; Jean-Dominique Fievet, Jason Taylor, George Schermer, animation directors; Roman Korbryn, Renato Sena, Scott McWhinnie, Matt Walker, Adrian Villarino Tomasi, Eric Johnson, Paulo Lombardi, Todd Wilbur, Andrzej Ellert, Laura Lempert, 3D animators; George Schermer, Roman Kobryn, Laura Lempert, Thomas Price, Todd Wilbur, previs; Dan Bodenstein, FX lead artist; James Atkinson, Levin Gillen, Liam Griffin, Jinny Ko, FX artists; John Bloch, Nelio Naut, rigging and tech animation TDs. Sean Kealey, Zed Bennett, Stephen Mann, Josh Sobel, Andrew Conroy, Thomas Price, George Schermer, rigging & tech animation. Paul Cohen, Michael Deweese, storyboard aratists; Andrew Park, matte painter; Andrew Malvasio, Alex Sysota, Cory Daniels, Flame artists. Music Walker Music, bicoastal Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, producer. Sound Design/Audio Post JOINT, Portland, Ore. Noah Woodburn, sound design/mixer; Natalie Huizenga, SFX editor; Leslie Carthy, exec producer. Editorial JOINT Kelly Lyon, editor; Ian DeVore, assistant editor; Leslie Carthy, exec producer.
Genre:Comedy
Media Type:Commercial: Television
ScreenWork Categories:Commercial
Video Tags:PsyopWieden+Kennedy
Top Spot of the Week: Sam Gainsborough Directs An Inflated Spectacle For Clash Royale
Directed by Sam Gainsborough via Blinkink, this film from agency Uncommon Creative Studio transforms video game Clash Royale’s beloved characters into an extraordinary balloon-built world, where more than 10,000 real twisted balloons were used to forge every aspect of what you see on-screen. In this surreal universe, the balloon nature of the characters is never questioned--it simply is. The Goblin trembles in genuine fear. The Barbarian rages with helpless fury. The King, confronted with an impending explosion, quietly accepts his fate.
To bring this ambitious vision to life, Gainsborough involved Airigami, a team of expert artists who create large-scale installations, illustrations, and experiences entirely out of balloons. Each character was meticulously handcrafted to ensure immediate recognizability while embracing the uncanny qualities of their inflated counterpart. Through extensive pre-production, the team refined not only the likeness of each figure, but also the physical behavior of the balloons, carefully designing how they expand, where pressure builds, and how their forms distort under strain.
Working across multiple scales, the artists achieved remarkable levels of detail, allowing for both intimate character moments and large-scale visual impact. The cinematography also draws heavily from the horror genre, using extreme close-ups, dramatic angles, and dolly zooms to build tension and amplify the expression of each puppet.
As the pressure mounts, the characters swell beyond their limits; their balloon forms pushing against the letterbox frame itself, visually reinforcing the escalating tension while also nodding to the film’s underlying absurdity. The climactic moment delivers a visceral payoff: balloon explosions captured at... Read More
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