The latest installment in the Adidas Beijing Olympics campaign maintains the poetic tone and hand-rendered styling of its predecessors. But this new spot is my favorite, if only for the beautifully realized metaphor of the sinking steps (pictured above). What an elegant way of conveying the frustration of continually being second place.
The shifts between the three presentational modes of Hu Jia—live action, sketched and full CG—are artfully handled. Oh, and I’m especially fond of the splash effects.
Stink/Psyop co-produced these, with Psyop handling the direction, animation and post-production.