Shy the Sun: United Airlines “Sea Orchestra”

QuickTime version

Shy the Sun, a new commercial studio founded by South African design/art collective The Blackheart Gang, splashes onto the scene with a beautiful spot for United Airlines. Backed by Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” Shy the Sun’s Hieronymous Bosch-like paintings in motion are brimming with lush, organic details that make “Sea Orchestra” a joy to watch again and again.

Here’s a breakdown of StS’s team for the project:

Ree & Jannes act as a directing duo. Our producer is Nina Pfeiffer. Lung’s Claudio Pavan and Arri Reschke joined in to animate the 3d characters and Carmen Ziervogel to help Ree with the illustration. As usual, Ree illustrated and coloured all the elements. She also designed all the characters that would then be modeled and animated by Lung. Jannes would prep and composite the plates, shoot live-action and then composite all these elements to form the final picture.

If you’re not familiar with Shy the Sun’s founders, The Blackheart Gang, make sure to watch their amazing debut, The Tale of How. You might also want to read our mini-interview to get a better understanding of how this quirky collective works.

Client: United Airlines
Agency: Barrie D’Rozario Murphy

Exec. Creative Directors: Stuart D’Rozario, Bob Barrie
Copywriter: Phil Calvit
Art Director: James Zucco
Agency Producers: Holly Stone / Jack Steinmann

Directors/Animation: Jannes Hendrikz and Ree Treweek (Shy the Sun)
Production Company: DUCK Studios
Exec Producer: Mark Medernach
Producer: Nina Pfeiffer

Music Arrangement: Trivers & Myers
Sound Design/ Mix: Ken Chastain, Pixel Farm