The campaign wanted to highlight the fact that Ocean Spray isn’t a faceless corporation, but rather a co-op run by local family farmers, who are passionate about what they do. These commercials are about the care these farmers show for their produce, and how it’s not just a job -cranberry farming harmoniously complements their wholesome lifestyle. Their work also serves to conserve and protect the environment. To add a layer of comedic charm, Framestore created playful animations to depict some of the story points.

Creative Director Anthony Gibbs looked for opportunities to inject creative flourishes throughout the spot using the simple, doodle-like illustrations that balanced with the beautifully shot landscapes.  

While most of the spots were shot on location at the cranberry bogs with director Finn McGough of Knucklehead, Framestore’s Chris Eckardt came up with a clever solution to create the end cards that featured a floating cranberry juice bottle. Using a small water tank and a customized submersible motion control lift, the team was able to shoot the bottle lifting through the water and cranberries, and into frame. This allowed the team to design exactly where the bottle needed to land, and at what speed. The cranberry bog tank was positioned in front of a green screen, which later allowed the VFX team to extend the bog size and add an environment in the far distance.

Other than the LA team’s shock when it came to braving the cold Washington weather, the most difficult aspect of the job was finding the right balance between the design and live action. It had to always support, and never distract from, the story of the farmers who were the true stars. The quirky animations were hand drawn by Ali Beisbier, and Photoshop was used to animate frame-by-frame. The illustrations had to complement the picturesque moments, and whilst simplistic, needed to have an interesting and sophisticated style.