O2
Bringing the O2 bear to broadcast
For an O2 promotional segment within a television news programme, I worked on animation proposals and the bear’s interaction with the presenter, before animating the final character performance in Autodesk Maya.
Starting with the supplied character, I ran animation tests to explore its movement and developed proposals for gestures, reactions and moments of interaction.
The project was completed on a particularly tight production schedule, moving from initial tests to final animation while refining timing, poses and transitions.
My role
My contribution focused on creative animation proposals, character testing and final character animation. Rendering, compositing and the final visual finish were handled by other members of the production team.
Software · Autodesk Maya
Exploring the performance
These early animation tests explore poses, gestures and movement ideas for the O2 bear, helping define its performance and propose interactions with the presenter.
Working in Autodesk Maya, I used playblasts to assess timing, weight and the clarity of each action before developing the final animation.
The videos show my animation work in progress, before rendering, compositing and final finishing by the production team.
Character test · 01
Timing & performance · 02
Translating calm into movement
These animation tests were presented to the client as proposals for bringing O2’s relaxed brand personality to life through the bear.
I explored how poses, gestures and pacing could express the brand’s invitation to pause, breathe and take things easy.
Beyond the screen
My work for O2 extended beyond the broadcast piece, with creative proposals exploring new ways to express the brand’s personality. These included adapting the bear model into a collectible figure, which went on to be physically produced.
I particularly enjoyed exploring how much personality the bear could convey, while taking ownership of my contribution within a wider production team.
Character study
