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When Tesco dropped their Christmas ad for 2024, the nation took to it quicker than you can say ‘Every Little Helps’. Devised by BBH and directed by ALASKA, Electric Theatre Collective crafted a gingerbread world for protagonist Gary to reside within. As the film develops, so too do gingerbread metaphors for familiar themes of nostalgia, tradition and grief. At the centre of it all? Gary’s relationship with his grandfather as they navigate the festive season - with one special person missing.

To embed the gingerbread environment, the art department crafted smaller, gingerbread props for the cast to interact with, whilst Electric set about developing animals and humans in CG. It was imperative these retained their authentic movements as much as they did their gingerbread quality. Walls, interiors and other elements were also brought to life through CG, whilst digital matte paintings and other design easter eggs (gingerbread billboard, anyone?) provided the icing on top.

“It was a complete, comprehensive study of gingerbread”, commented Soledad Martin, VFX supervisor. “We observed it in all its forms: hard, brittle, soft, liquid, dense, half cooked - you name it! We played with icing viscosity, baking decorations and sweets to add highlights and colour, ensuring the brown didn’t get lost in the scenes.”

The team leant into the thick, slightly wonky icing to enhance homebaked nostalgia, whilst in-camera gingerbread props aided the design of the CG assets and helped ground them into the scenes. “The campaign was the perfect mix of the practical and the digital”, says VFX Creative Director, Dean Robinson. “Real set builds and a close collaboration with BBH, ALASKA and Electric helped establish the feel of the film from the off, and we had a tonne of fun crafting barbershop customers, a fish, a fox, and a whole mixing bowl of other elements. Overall, a dream to be a part of.”