The Vodafone 'Zoozoos'

All of us must have at some point of time in the recent months seen the new series of Vodafone ads that have appeared on TV. The cartoonish like characters that communicate the Vodafone message are weird yet funny. Many people believe that they are either animated characters or puppets that were used for this ad series.


In fact they aren’t animated characters nor are they puppets. They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. Surprised? Shocked? Read on....


The design of the characters is such that one gets fooled into thinking it is animation, which was indeed the very illusion that had to be created. In a sense, it can be said that it is ‘live’ animation given the fact that it was all shot live!


The commercials have been directed by Prakash Varma, ad filmmaker, Nirvana Films. He says that the greatest challenge in this ad series was the creation of the ‘Zoozoos’ as these characters are so called. The practical aspects of how they would move, talk, gesticulate and emote were very important. Essentially, costume design and artwork were crucial elements.


There were two fabrics that were considered for the body suits for the ‘Zoozooz’, and one was rejected for it had too many wrinkles and was shiny. The wrinkles would have shown when the characters moved, thereby shattering the illusion of animation and hence the more practical, thicker fabric was chosen.

The production team divided the outfit into two parts: the body and the head. The body part of the outfit was stuffed with foam in some places, while the head was attached separately. To make it look bigger than a human head, a harder material called Perspex was used, which in turn was stuffed with foam (with scope for ventilation).

If one wishes to understand the size of this head, here’s a fact: a human head would typically reach up to the mouth level of this giant Zoozoo head. The production team kept the hands and legs thin, which is why they primarily cast women – and occasionally children – for wearing the costumes. The thin limbs, contrasted with big bellies and a bulbous head, all added to the illusion that these creatures are ‘smaller’ than humans. Sets were created to suit the size of the Zoozoos.
Cinematically, this ‘size’ was a trick: the creatures look smaller than they actually are on screen, to portray a different world of sorts. For this, the speed of shooting was altered: Nirvana shot it in a high-speed format to make them look the size that they do. If one might want to draw a parallel, this same technique was used in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies while filming the ‘Hobbits’ sequences. The effect is there for all to see.

Furthermore, simple sets/backdrops were created and spray painted with neutral Greys – a colour of choice so that attention wasn’t diverted from the main characters. For a supposedly ‘outdoor’ shot, even the shadow of a Zoozoo was kept ‘live’ and not done in post production: it was painted in a darker shade of grey on the ground. An even lighting was maintained throughout.


There was virtually no post production work done.


The films were shot by Nirvana in Cape Town, South Africa, with the help of a local production house there, called Platypus. Incidentally, the same combination of people also worked on the ‘Happy to Help’ series last year.


The new Vodafone ad series involving these ‘Zoozoos’ are truly a revelation. The simplicity of the communication in terms of visuals and the messages both is what works for this ad series. Truly amazing eh????