New London-based animation and design studio defines itself with surreal animations exploring 3D and 2D illustrated textures and places.
LONDON – This Thing of Ours (TTOO), a new London-based animation and design studio, is launching a series of vignettes to celebrate the completion of its new website. Setting out to produce the vignettes, the studio’s brief was simple: “If This Thing of Ours was a thing, what would it be?”
Three short animations were created to reflect some of its many sides as a studio. It was decided to base the vignettes on random late-night “telly.”
“You know when you’ve been channel-hopping for 15 minutes solid, and things start getting weirder and weirder past channel 700? That,” shared TTOO director, Alex Robinson.
The studio enjoys mixing things up a little when it comes to its reference points and processes.
“We wanted to explore ways of combining 3D and 2D illustrated textures. Adding these extra layers always takes 3D renders to a new place,” noted TTOO motion designer, Ryan Walker.
The inspiration for each vignette comes from several different places. The first in the series features the arrival of a “super cow.” Out of nowhere, in a field full of regular cows, this cow is clearly different from the rest - even down to its moo.
The second is inspired by the legendary Al Jolson performing his signature tune “Mammy.” The team loved the humor in this song and thought it would be fun to create two characters with two sides that have been beautifully crafted. The vignette combines humor, bizarre visuals, and interesting design with a twist of Jolson.
Finally, the third vignette idea comes from an old portrait painting seen on a wall in a pub. The team thought it would be fun to take an old-looking portrait and flip it to face the wrong way, instantly making the viewer feel uneasy. The character slowly turns around revealing his face - which is not what you expect to see.
Source: This Thing of Ours
