Ships, Sharks & Swirling Seas in Swashbuckling New 1-800 Contacts Spot

'Pirates', the latest instalment in the ongoing 1-800 Contacts campaign, is a seafaring tale of chaos made more intense by forgotten contacts. The spot reunited Timber with agency Pereira & O’Dell, Epoch director Phil Morrison and Arcade editor Greg Scruton to craft the high seas hi-jinx. 

Timber was tapped to supervise director Phil Morrison’s massive green screen shoot and execute the visual effects that would take the pirates from dry land to open ocean. To produce an authentic, fog-soaked pastiche, the ship scene was filmed with smoke, which created the unavoidable consequence of green 'spill' that was suppressed in post by Dave Hussey of Company 3 and the Timber team. To place the ship in its watery context, Timber scouted docks to film with the exact height and dimension for perfect background plates; they then used tracking and projection to help unite the ship and sea elements seamlessly. To further enhance the cinematic feel of the commercial, Timber conceptualised and created a burning ship and a frenzy of sharks. 

“The spot’s concept was massive, and we wanted to add elements that would provide thematic visual interest. The agency and Phil said ‘go for it,’ and that’s exactly what we did,” says Timber Partner and creative director Jonah Hall. “Burning ships and sharks – that’s a veritable visual effects playground. It was pure enjoyment.”