Monsterbox - Scotland's Best Kept Secret / Detective kids (2020) (UK)

Monsterbox relaunched their fresh food delivery service in Scotland during lockdown. Monsterbox is food delivery company that enables the Scottish people to have fresh food delivered to their doorstep instead of potentially putting themselves at risk during a pandemic.

This ad is now airing to spread the word about Monsterbox to a wider audience. While I personally find "the best kept secret" a tired strategy, the idea of a sneaky monster delivering fresh produce but is never seen is quite a nice story. This allows for kids imagination to run wild, as depicted in the spot where two little detectives try and figure out where the monsterbox with the produce comes from . To create this film was a very ambitious idea during lockdown, and it was initiated by Christopher Jaques (EP, VFX supervisor), and Edward Andrews (writer / director / producer)

“The brief came to us in the middle of lockdown, and because of the scale of the project and the issues with shooting abroad there were going to be challenges” says Andrews. “We had little to no money but took it as a creative opportunity. Without the possibility of flying to Scotland, we had to adapt and find solutions”. Jaques adds “Once we had our idea with concept art, storyboards and previs, the ball started rolling. More and more creatives donated their time to see the project through to the end, which we couldn’t be more thankful for.”

The shoot was split between Scotland and Canada. Edward is based in Toronto and Christopher is in London. A remote shoot was set up for all exterior scenes in Edinburgh and the Highlands with local DP Gavin White. This was then paired with a shoot of the interior scenes, which were shot by DP Jordan Kennington in Toronto when restrictions were slightly eased. The two were then married together through clever editing (Outsider), magical music & sound design (Grayson Music, & Factory UK), beautiful colour (Alter Ego) and technically impressive visual effects (Brave VFX). All completed remotely.

“The Visual Effects team had an integral part to play” says Jaques. “From the initial concept, to bringing our furry monster to life in build, animation, lighting, and compositing.” The VFX were all achieved whilst working remotely across multiple time zones. “We really had a burning ambition to produce something unexpected, which is why we took on the challenging task of rendering fur!” says Jaques.

Although the finished spot with a realistic furry monster might look big budget, the total budget for this commercial was only £7,000. This would not have been possible without a lot of favours and hours of donated time from some very talented professionals.

Production Company: Day 21

Executive Producers: Christopher Jaques,

Producers: Roman Hul, Edward Andrews

Director: Edward Andrews

DOPs: Jordan Kennington, Gavin White
Writer: Edward Andrews

Creative consultant: Jonathan Guy

Production Designer: Rudin Causi

Wardrobe: Caprice Connors

Make/Up + Hair Styling: Cristina Rubiales and Tess Jobin

Onset Sound: Jadon J.B. Williams

Gaffer: Adrian Antonecchia

Key Grip: Hadrien Grass

Swing/ Package Truck: Mike Torelli

Production Coordinator: Brett Gartley
Set Dresser: Benjamin Harris

1st AC (Prep): Brad Cherry

1st AC (Shoot): Connor Jarvie

Casting: Jigsaw Casting

Casting Agent: Shasta Lutz

VO Casting: Real People

VO Casting Agent: Kirsty Bell

Editorial: Outsider

Editor: Alison Gordon

Editorial Producer: Kayan Choi

Editorial assistant: Cam Anderson

Colourist: Wade Odlum, Alter Ego

VFX Company: Brave VFX

VFX Supervisor: Christopher Jaques

VFX Team: Taran Fiddler, Nicolò Piccinini, Souvik Mitra, Gabor Kiss, Fah Anuntasomboon, Roberto Sollazzo, Hana Hirosaka, Francesca Piergiovanni, Carlos Niño

Motion Design: Matt Sheern

Aerial Footage: Aerial Frontiers, John Duncan Aerials

Music: Grayson Music

Composers: Jeff Milutinovic, Igor Correia

Sound Studio:  Factory London

Sound Design & Mix:  Jon Clarke and Josh Campbell

Audio Producer:  Lou Allen

VO recording studio: Graeme MacKenzie Pacific Audio Post.

Gear: Affiliated Equipment - Ross McLean

Cast

Mom - Beth Hornby

Daughter - Harley Ruznisky

Son - Ben Davidson

Dog - Guinness Soochie Hul

VO – Jessica Hamilton

Special Thanks:

Skin And Bones Film

Liane Thomas

Ross McLean

Shane Jaeger-Collins 

Bryony Worth

Debbi Coleman 

Paul Arion

Luke Bigley

James Richardson

Georgia Groom

David Neilson
Nicole Gray