US Bank: Growth

From the first moment of Growth, the second collaboration between Kommitted's Nathan McGuinness and Kaplan Thaler for US Bank, a sense of accomplishment is blended with a surge of possibility: A boy launches a paper plane, a windmill becomes a wind-power turbine, highways ripple into being, new homes become communities, and skyscrapers unfold in a gleaming, tree-lined city.
"Things are changing. Suburbs, small towns, cities-they're all growing and changing, thanks to the strength of the American people's resolve and to the strength of US Bank," said Director Nathan McGuinness. Because US Bank wanted the spot to include the people who make America's growth possible, McGuinness made sure the clip created uplifting, personal feelings. "We also chose to include people who represent as many demographics as possible, illustrating the meanings of `us' that the spot plays with: Americans, and US Bank," he said.
McGuinness-also the co-founder and creative director of Oscar-winning VFX house Asylum-brought into being a visually cohesive spot that feels like a film, and that uses as many CG techniques as it has scenes. "There is not one place in the spot where I've used the same technique to get the image both on film and in post," he said. "The mood creates the cohesiveness, and we set the mood in the first moment, with the motion of the boy sending a paper plane into the air."
Marc Siegel, Executive Producer at Kommitted Films, says McGuinness' work excels partly because of his experience at Asylum but mostly because he works in all areas of production. "Nathan brings to the table a portfolio of A-level films that required extraordinary VFX and acute attention to detail, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Siegel said. "He's multi-talented, and he's meticulous. Nathan follows the job all the way through to the end which always delivers a more memorable result."