Behind the Scenes – Stop Motion Commercial – Fitness Sponsorship

In animation (especially in stop-motion), the planning stage is extremely important—crucial, even—to achieving a great final result. Since we capture so many images while creating the animation, everything must be planned down to the last detail. To the point that, in my view, filming the actual video is like pressing the Print button—everything is ready, we know exactly what moves and how, at what pace, and all that’s left is to move, shoot. Move, shoot. Move, shoot.

When I received the brief for the Fitness sponsorship, I was asked to come up with a unique, non-generic concept that would illustrate the raw ingredients of the snack and how they transform into the final product. And all of this in just 4 seconds! (It’s always important to leave 2 seconds at the end of the video for a closing shot.)

So—I played around with paper and pencil and created a rough animation preview (animatic) of the idea in my head. I also translated it into a storyboard, which consists of quick sketches that act as a visual script of what will be seen on screen. This allows the client to see and feel the video even before filming begins.

If the storyboard works and successfully conveys the message, chances are the final video will work great too. At this stage, we can already sense the rhythm and ensure the movements we’ve planned align correctly with the beats. Watching bananas move in a straight, linear motion toward the center of the frame would be pretty boring. But if the bananas have a choreographed, pre-planned movement, it makes all the difference. In fact, this is what separates amateur stop-motion from professional animation. After all, anyone can move objects, but giving them personality and rhythm is something else entirely.

The first animatic I created was a bit too long, so I had to think about how to refine the motion while still effectively showcasing the snack’s ingredients.

Directing just 4 seconds is no easy task!

Once the client reviewed and approved the concept, I moved on to the testing phase.

Before every stop-motion production at the studio, we conduct a test day where we simulate an actual shoot.

For large productions, I work closely with a professional stylist, who ensures that the frame looks flawless at all times. For this project, I collaborated with the amazing Talia Hadar, aka “Eshet Style.”

Talia is a perfectionist to the extreme, a crucial trait when designing frames that will become a final film. She meticulously cut and cleaned every single banana, carved and polished each piece of chocolate, and constantly ensured the frame was free of granola residue using a fine brush. This type of collaboration is essential—while I focused on moving the bananas by mere millimeters, Talia made sure everything looked visually perfect.

During testing, we experimented with two background options: light blue and white wood flooring. This allowed the client to compare and select the best fit for their campaign. The wood flooring background was chosen, and we were ready to roll!