Froneri, a worldwide ice cream manufacturer, called on us to aid the UK launch of their ice cream brand ROAR: a plant-based ice cream with a social conscious. The name is both a hint to the ice cream's raw ingredients, as well as Froneri's partnership with a wild cats conservation initiative. The launch would be of three flavors: Hazelnut Chocolate Cookie, Coconut Mango Passionfruit Oat Cookie, and Hemp Seed Chocolate Brownie. 

The idea was simple: at the top of the spot, the screen would be fully covered in ice cream. From behind, the hazelnut layer would be wiped away by the tongue of a wild tiger.

 A lot of planning went into the creation of this short and sweet spot, created from live action food photography and CGI. Two things were paramount: pleasantly and accurately depicting the ice cream, and creating the photoreal tiger that is enjoying it. We created basic ice cream simulations to show the tiger's movements, and how he'd lick the screen to create a clear view of himself, and the ice cream.

We shot the product at The Hot Plate, another Tag owned company, that specializes in food photography. 

We approached the shot as we do in CG: we shot all elements separately, to then be layered in post. First, we shot the tubs, then each main ingredient of the 3 flavours; this allows for creative flexibility and different compositions. In the end, the client decided to show only the tubs in the advert; we were able to do this swiftly, thanks to our isolated-elements approach. 

We went through multiple iterations to find the right look for the ice cream's surface. It had to look realistic and appealing, while also representing the fine details seen in our reference shots of the product. The best look we found was a blend of the different CG surfaces, shaders, and scales. 

Now, we had to make sure that the ice cream surface moved around believably as the tiger licked it. 
We accomplished this by using a mid-resolution simulation and Photoshop.

We animated a pre-existing asset of a rigged tiger. A rare special attention was given to the modelling of the tiger's tongue, which would be seen more than the tiger himself. We looked to existing footage of tigers licking objects, as well as footage of other animals. While we wanted to go for realism, we also wanted to give him a humanized look that viewers could relate to – the final tongue movements are a mix of fast and short licks, like a tiger, and long, indulgent ones, like a kid enjoying a summer treat.