Local firms collaborate on a Swift stop-motion film clip

Suzuki New Zealand has teamed up with Auckland-based stop-motion expert, Adam Rowland, to produce what may be a world first in the advertising industry.

Starring the popular Suzuki Swift, the advertisement is handcrafted, frame-by-frame, using practical effects and no CGI. A full-sized vehicle is filmed entirely inside a studio.

Suzuki NZ Marketing Manager, Fiona Bridgford says: “We’re always looking for unexpected ways to show off the personality and performance of the Swift. 

“When Adam came to us with this wild idea of animating a real car using stop-motion, we were intrigued. It felt playful, unique and very Suzuki.”

The result is a high-energy, cinematic short film where the Swift goes on a little adventure, racing across a variety of hand-built sets, as if alive.

The animation took over 4000 carefully curated photographs, all layered together into a final stop-motion action sequence. The Swift was jacked up and down more than 700 times to simulate jumps, leans, and weight shifts. It travelled nearly 1km through a studio no wider than 12 metres.

None of this would work without the right eye behind the lens. Pete Whittaker, Director of Photography from Howler, brought the visual storytelling to life. 

The project was developed by Adam Rowland’s stop-motion studio, Awkward Animations, New Zealand’s only dedicated commercial stop-motion outfit. 

“This isn’t your typical car advertising,” Suzuki NZ notes. “It’s quirky. It’s a little unexpected. It has the charm of animation with the thrill of live action – and it reflects the kind of fun energy we associate with the Swift.

“This kind of campaign…invites you into a world where the car isn’t just a product, it’s a character.

“And we love that it’s been hand-crafted right here in New Zealand by local creatives.”