The VF’X’ Factor in TV Commercials!

Here are two links that sum up the whole story of how VFX has completely evolved the advertising industry.  The first link, which is an old Limca Ad starring the Maine Pyaar Kiya hero Salman Khan. The Ad is simple with absence of any special effect as such except at the end of the commercial which again can’t be counted as one as per today’s standards. To be precise, they are mere graphics.  Many of you watching it now may not at all like it because instantly your mind will start comparing this Ad with the one in the second link. Yes, it’s the Ad which again stars the Dabangg Salman Khan, this time endorsing the brand Thums Up and performing an unbelievable daredevil act. It’s highly unrealistic that someone will jump out of an aeroplane in a Jeep to get a bottle of his favourite drink. As many of you might know that this sequence was shot using the Chroma technology, and Mr. Salman Khan, the pretty model and their jeep had a harness around them as a protection, though…they won’t have jumped from a height of more than 5-10 feet. But does this come to your mind even for a fraction of a second? The answer is No. This is the magic of VFX. It makes everything look so real and makes you believe in it.

And the reason that we are talking about VFX here is that this industry is easily one of the fastest growing industries in India today and more than 50% of an Ad today consists of VFX. Just as the TV industry is burgeoning by the day, VFX too is finding a good foothold amidst this development. The entertainment portion of the animation, gaming and VFX industry (now included in the overall size of the entertainment and media industry) grew by 24% and was estimated at Rs 13 billion in 2007. This industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25%. The visual effects field — referring to computerized digital animation and picture-layering processes known as compositing — is evolving quickly. Very small boutique studios are mushrooming in all metros to cater to the needs of small screen content makers and advertising agencies.

VFX has completely metamorphosed the TVCs’ scenario in India with more and more brands using VFX to enhance the quality of their Ads. VFX has provided the necessary platform to more and more innovative ideas. Such Ads have a longer life compared to the normal Ads because they are unique in every sense and they register quickly in the minds of the target audience.

Many of us may dislike the MTS- Born for the Internet Ad and think that it is gross but the point here is, good or bad, everyone is talking about it and the Ad has indeed served its purpose. Not only the brand has been successful in reaching out to the people but the special effects have ensured that the Ad is registered in the minds of the target audience and stays there for a long time.

But utmost care needs to be taken by the brand while selecting the right VFX Studio, because ones VFX goes wrong may reduce the Ad to a mere laughing stock and nothing else.  You may have seen today’s kids laughing out loud at some desi commercial which has turned out into a disaster because of its poor VFX quality. It’s essential to choose the best VFX Studio; a studio that can craft a spectacular visual experience. And Toolbox should top your list if you are looking for such a studio. It’s one of the leading studios with a state-of-the-art setup, which includes a chroma studio, sound studio, IT infrastructure…and is renowned for adding visual wonders and creative expertise to advertising. Toolbox Studio provides an array of creative solutions like live-action, pre-visualization, shoot supervision, 2D compositing, 3D and CG effects, animation, motion design, color grading and any combination of these services.

VFX has certainly turned out to be the X factor in today’s TVCs and is destined to grow beyond imaginations and create a lot of visual miracles in the near future.

Anoop Chaphekar

Last updated: October 4, 2024

A Fine Arts Graduate, Anoop brings 20+ yrs experience in the VFX and Animation industry. He brings his expertise in Animation-VFX for Television Commercials to Visual Effects for feature films, TV and Web series.