At a time when mainstream brands are beginning to pay attention to the banning of
single use plastic, content agency Alkemy X has been a force in driving conversation
around the issue.
Last spring, Alkemy X helped to produce a powerful PSA for Sea
Shepherd, an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to protecting marine
wildlife.
Drawing attention to the fact that one million animals die each year as a result of
plastic pollution, Alkemy X worked with the agency Fred & Farid to develop
shocking, highly detailed print and motion elements that simulated marine life
trapped in a liquid plastic.
The short film takes viewers on an emotional journey. Beginning with elegant, surreal
imagery, the spot quickly transitions to the horrifying suffering of a dolphin, sea
turtle and shark before delivering a simple, but effective call to action.
All of the creatures in the promotion were modeled and brought to life using Maya
animation software before being migrated to VFX program Houdini for the
painstaking work of building the plastic ocean simulations. Final compositing was
done in the digital composting application Nuke. The finishing touch was the
haunting score and sound design composed and arranged by Tuesday Collective.
The PSA has won several awards in the past year, including the following:
Philadelphia ADDY Awards, Best In Show
Philadelphia ADDY Awards, Gold for Computer Generated Imagery
Philadelphia ADDY Awards, Gold for PSA
LOUIX Awards/Philadelphia One Show Awards, Gold in Animation
LOUIX Awards/Philadelphia One Show Awards, Best in Craft Awards