Documentary Feature: NPower Behind the Scenes
WALLACE BARES ALL FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
WALLACE and Gromit fans glimpse more of their favourite animated character than they ever have before in npower’s first advert starring the duo.
It’s the first time family favourite has appeared in the buff but he’s spared his blushes by an enterprising Gromit.
In the 30 second npower advert Wallace suffers the ultimate bathroom hardship when the pair’s home boiler breaks down and his hot shower runs cold. A startled Wallace turns to Gromit for his help. The clever hound gets on the ‘dog and bone’ and calls out npower’s hometeam to replace the boiler.
Wallace’s appearance marks the first of a series of npower adverts starring the duo that will appear on screen for the next two years. Each ad will be characterised by the famous pair doing what they do best and inventing hair brained schemes to help their home be more energy efficient.
The ad, which airs on the evening of Saturday 28th March, aims to highlight how Britain’s brightest energy company is helping make energy efficiency easy and fun.
Joan Coe, head of brand communications, npower, comments: “Wallace and Gromit are the most famous film pairing in Britain. Their cosy personas and ‘have a go’ approach to energy efficiency is what we need to help people see how simple it is to make small changes but a big difference to their energy bills.”
Bil Bungay, founder of advertising agency BMB, adds: “Wallace was superb to work with, he admitted to having laid off the Wensleydale for a couple of weeks prior to the shoot and it showed. He looked pretty buffed for his age.”
Aardman director, Merlin Crossingham says "I’ve worked with Wallace & Gromit for 8 years now and I thoroughly enjoyed making this npower commercial. It is fantastic that Wallace and Gromit can help spread the word about energy efficiency. We all like to do our bit, and for our part while making this commercial we made sure that the studio lights were only on when necessary, we used computer generated water in the shower instead of filming real water, and we used real coal crushed to the correct scale instead of making miniature coal from resin. I also cycle to work every day."
‘Exposing’ the figures behind the advert
- The npower hometeam van has suspension, moveable windscreen wipers, head lights that can be wired in for night driving shots, hinged doors and wind up and down windows
- 10lbs of modelling clay were used to create the advert
- The advert took five weeks to shoot
- Wallace and Gromit both appear in the advert, along with a new character – hometeam Bob
- Look out for the pictures in the hallway when Wallace walks downstairs
- Special effects include colouring Perspex rod with glass paint to give the illusion of glowing coal
- The coal in the coal cellar is real though
- The shower is authentic brass
- The Wallace and Gromit bathroom has never been seen before on screen
- The shower curtain is made from actual shower curtain material which had to be wired at the bottom for animation purposes
- The toothbrush and scrubber brush are made from paintbrush hair. The toothpaste is called Mc Plaque
- The soap suds are glass and Perspex clear balls mixed with hair gel and KY Jelly
- The shower is never over Wallace’s head: it’s an optical illusion