In conjunction with a study, we were tasked with creating visuals to show how germs spread. The agency provided us with a scamp, which we were not to deviate far from, to create print and animations to be used for marketing collateral, outdoor, internet and regional print.

The brand wanted to show that germs can spread throughout an area like a malevolent smoke or ink. We pitched competitively for this work, creating a test animation to show what we could do. Having worked with ink on a number of previous projects, we provided suggestions on how to best use ink in both photography and animation.

The ink would be shown spreading in a glass container that resembles a home. When creating glass in CGI, we must work to find the balance between the transparency, refraction and reflections, so the scene doesn't feel too busy. In our exploration during pre-production, we determined the thickness and translucency of the glass. Then, we considered the lighting and movement of the scene to clearly tell the story. 

For worldwide markets, we suggested different containers. American markets would have a glass container that looked like a traditional two-story suburban home, while Asian and South American markets would have apartment-like containers.

Phoenix for 3ds Max was used to simulate the ink in CGI. To create the sense of the germs spreading, we animated the movement of ink from an emitter. The emitter allowed us to control the trails' movement, volume and viscosity.

In retouch, we wanted as much control as possible over how the reflections and refractions of the fluid interacted with the glass. To achieve this, we rendered out a number of passes with and without the glass structure and the fluid. This allowed us the ability to fine-tune the fluid’s appearance behind the glass, making for a physically realistic and controllable final product.