Re-creating Christmas Past for Coca-Cola
December 18, 2013

Re-creating Christmas Past for Coca-Cola

Working via Argentine agency Santo, Passion Pictures NYC partnered with MPC NY to spread the gift of holiday cheer in an all-new campaign for Coca-Cola involving computer graphics imagery.

Directed by Passion's Sam Mason and Creative Director Pete Candeland, the campaign is heavily influenced by the work of Norman Rockwell, Haddon Subdblom, and advertising campaigns from the 1930s and 1950s. Led by Passion's creative team, the partnership with MPC allowed the two companies to combine their resources, deftly translating this evocative style into a fully CG world with a contemporary twist. The spot opens on Santa Claus and his elves, hard at work preparing for his big ride on Christmas Eve. Santa, however, takes a moment to persuade the viewer to help him spread the spirit of Christmas to everyone through small acts of kindness.

View the Coca-Cola Christmas Past video and how they made it.

Passion worked closely with MPC to bring the directors' vision to life, housing Passion's modelers and previs artists under the roof of MPC's NYC studio during production to get the most out of the collaborative efforts. Together, the two teams created a veritable deluge of assets for the final piece, including nearly 20 characters, seven environments, and hundreds of props.

"The combined firepower of Passion and MPC was perfect for this project, allowing the companies to assemble the very best in each discipline," noted MPC managing director Justin Lane. "I've been eager to connect with the talented people at Passion over the last few years and this turned out to be the right opportunity to partner."

Director Sam Mason reflects on his favorite scene - that of Santa's workshop. "There is really an unbelievable amount of detail in there, and we didn't stop adding until the last minute. Santo and Coca-Cola were really open to collaboration and letting our imaginations run wild.'