Bunker

Ideas first, medium second is the principle that this New Zealand company puts in front of every project. Bunker is a company of storytellers working in animation, design and film, and it chooses the technique after the idea, whether that is drawing by hand, 3D, graphics in motion, installations that surround the viewer or a filmed shoot. Its clients include worldwide brands, ambitious agencies, local firms and newer innovators.

Made by hand and made in 3D

Traditional animation means drawing frame by frame, designing characters and rigging them for 2D movement, using older techniques and some modern ones to give ideas warmth and personality. In 3D and CGI the studio builds products, characters and whole imagined worlds, then textures, lights and renders them with close attention to detail. Past examples include wetsuit visualisations for a boarding brand, product renders for a kiteboarding company, pack shots for a drinks brand launch, and food and supplement visuals built entirely in the computer.

Motion graphics and titles

Design in motion includes typography, graphics, brands and data, with motion graphics, title design and brand motion identity as services. The studio produced title sequences for television, among them a sting for a series based on the Monkey King that had to be short and sharp, and an opening sequence for a show that brought a candy wonderland and an army of characters to life, modelled and animated in Cinema 4D.

Explaining engineering

Aerospace, robotics, engineering and other products that cannot simply be filmed are explained through animation of the product or machine, including views that pull parts apart or slice them open. The studio has made visualisation films for an aerospace company that launches rockets from New Zealand and a Mars mission film.

Beyond the screen

Projection mapping, large-scale installations and immersive experiences extend the work past the edge of the screen. Bunker also directs, edits and produces campaign films, including a studio shoot for an insurer that was filmed in one day and on air a week later, and a launch promo made with rotoscoping and hand-drawn effects. Its credits include campaigns made with Auckland agencies and a rebrand for a real estate firm and a launch video for a real estate firm's sponsorship of the World Masters Games in Auckland.

Bunker is a New Zealand creative company that tells stories through animation, design and film. It picks the technique to suit each idea, moving between hand-drawn work, CGI, motion graphics, immersive installations and live-action shoots. Clients range from global brands and advertising agencies to local businesses.

What Bunker offers

• 2D and traditional animation: frame-by-frame work, character design and 2D rigging.
• 3D and CGI: modelling, texturing, lighting and rendering of products, characters and imagined worlds.
• Motion design: animated typography, title sequences and brand identity in motion.
• Product and engineering animation: exploded views and cutaways that explain aerospace, robotics and machinery.
• Immersive content: projection mapping, large-format wraparound pieces and LED stage visuals.
• Live action: directing, shooting and finishing commercials and brand films.

Clients

Past projects include visualisation work for Rocket Lab, idents for the educator SAE, 3D wetsuit renders for Mystic Boarding, and campaigns for Vero made with the agency Big. It has also partnered with Colenso BBDO on drinks launches and animated pieces.

Key facts

• Based in: New Zealand
• Tools: Cinema 4D and Octane for character pieces