Animated graffiti character in 6Music trailer

by Staff, Campaign, 09 January 2009, 6:40pm

LONDON - The BBC is hailing 6Music as the radio signal to tune into if you want to "Get an Earful" of the latest music in a new TV spot created by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/ Y&R.

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The ad, set to the track A Punk by Vampire Weekend, features an anatomically topsy-turvy character with a large body, snout and an ear for a nostril.

The animated creature, drawn in graffiti, makes his way around the walls of London sucking up musical influences on his way.

Music from a guy's headphones, tunes wafting from a bedroom and sounds emanating from a record shop, are all sucked up by the creature, who morphs into different shapes and colours as he listens.

Credits

Project
Get an Earful
Client
BBC 6Music
Creative agency
Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe / Y&R
Creative director
Damon Collins
Copywriter
Ted Heath
Art director
Paul Angus
Creative planner
Alice Huntley
Account director
Annabel Evans
Production company
Michael Maloney Studio / Red Bee Media
Director
Michael Moloney
Producer
Bridie Harrison ( Red Bee )
Design and animation studio
Michael Moloney
Photography
John Hooper
Illustrator
John Slade /Serge Seidlitz

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All Comments

Andrew Blakeley - 12 January 2009

This looks startlingly similar to this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGaqLT-gO4 which hit YouTube in May. Probably around the same time that concepts for this ad were being formed...

Iain Harrison - 12 January 2009

'Startlingly similar'. I agree.

I'm sure it will work well as a viral. But while the internet may make it easier to see what's going on on the other side of the world, that's no excuse to blatantly copy stuff.

Mind you, it wasn't that long ago that one of the BBC's idents blatantly 'paid homage' to Santo's Neon Girl Lux commercial. Funnily enough, both original pieces of work are Argentinean.

Art Garfunkel - 13 January 2009

Can you rip off a medium? The content is pretty different to the gritty work of BLU.

Robert Haigh - 15 January 2009

Unfortunately for BBC, I think most people will perceive this as a bit of a rip-off regardless of whether BLU's work merely provided the inspiration, and perception is key. The BBC's reputation for originality will end up being tarnished, when presumably the opposite was intended.

matt edgar - 16 January 2009

sorry, but if this was a piece of work submitted by a student you would call it plagiarism. you would expect the bbc's standards to be higher. (look how they covet and protect their own ideas) ...it's so clearly a copy of BLU's work. it's not 'ripping off a medium'. the medium is paint. the idea and central concept is character animation using paint on a wide scale, moving across brickwork, evolving to reveal creatures and ideas. eg:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGaqLT-gO4

Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe should be thoroughly discredited and those connected to this project should be sending their royalties to argentina.

Mark McClure - 23 January 2009

Agree with Matt Edgar..

A blattant rip off - of the idea and process - NOT just the medium...

How someone can follow through on a project over a period of time - take pleasure in gaining credit - and even be comfortable with it being declared their own work... beggars belief.

Alex Braxton - 12 February 2009

YouTube ripping is rife: the Sacla Pesto Percussion ad was clearly ‘inspired’ by Lasse Gjertsen Beatbox YouTube video (I imagine the VW Golf - Enjoy the everyday ad used this as a client reference). The Berocca treadmill advert is 'OK Go - Here It Goes Again'. And I wonder how many of us have seen this BLU animation touted around as an ‘idea’ internally? I have and we’ve placed bets on which brand would rip it off first.

On discovering a creative gem in the YouTube jumble they must think, “let’s take it mainstream.” Does Gjertsen’s 13,000,992 hits and BLU’s 3,864,021 count as small change (not including the combined totals from re-posts)? At least the agency can tally the damage of people deeming the brand as unoriginal versus our mums who haven’t seen it.

It seems clients are becoming notoriously bad at imagining a finished ad from a script, particularly a visual concept like this, so having one someone else made earlier under the boardroom table is the only way such a script will sell. I just wish they’d give credit to the original creator or involve them – surely not that difficult?