‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

‘Flawless in execution - it's work like this that makes us aware that Dutch animation skills are way up there.’ – At the Dutch Creativity Awards 2020, ‘Times are Changing’ received a Silver Lamp in the Craft – Animation & Motion category and a Nomination in the Craft – Visual Effects category. As the Jury pointed out in their feedback, this work is animation at its finest, combining an array of techniques with incredibly high levels of skill, mixed together with bucket loads of talent. We revisit the project with Asli Zeren, Lead Creative & Writer at Ambassadors.

‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

A huge congratulations for receiving your Silver Lamp and Nomination at this year’s Dutch Creativity Awards! Were you, as a team, able to celebrate the win?

Thanks! And no wild celebrations unfortunately. We just FaceTimed each other and cried.


How open was the original brief from Unox? Did they give you a lot of freedom to portray the message as you saw fit or did you work closely together?

Both, actually. We got a lot of freedom while working closely together to achieve the end result we all wanted. We tried to push the initial concept to elevate the story, characters and structure while making sure it’s visually reflected in the best possible way.


The film depicts a young girl, the daughter of a butcher, and her dog – could you talk us through how these characters were developed?

The young girl, Anna was in the original script. To highlight Anna’s characteristics we thought she needed a close friend. Someone who supported her unconditionally and would be with her every step of the way. That’s how Pip came to life as her “partner in crime”.

Every little detail of each character was thoroughly discussed and thought out. For example, Anna’s characteristics were quickly established but her looks took a bit of time. We initially wanted her to have big, messy curls to represent her adventurous nature. Though after long conversations with the team from TBWA, we came to the conclusion that these messy curls would make her look mischievous throughout the film. So we ended up giving her straight hair for her to slightly hide behind when she’s uncomfortable and let it move freely when she’s in her element. We believe this represented her journey more accurately.

‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

As the Jury states in their feedback report, 'The secondary animation and attention to detail was not missed by the jury. The use of practical backgrounds and CG characters is seamless and sets the bar as high as it can go.' – could you talk us through why animation was chosen for this project? Was it a laborious process to achieve this level of detail?

The main reason animation was chosen for this project was because Unox wanted the new Vega Product range to stand out amongst their other products but still feel unmistakably Unox. This was a challenge at first because Unox had never created an animated film of this scale. It shows how far a bit of trust goes amongst clients and production studios.

As a team we tend to go a bit crazy over the details. From family photos in the background, products in the fridge to the stickers on Anna’s bike. Everything was carefully thought out and purposefully designed.

‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

How was your working relationship with TBWA\NEBOKO and Unox?

It was great. There was a lot of trust and collaboration from the first meeting on. We truly felt like one team on this project with the same goal – to tell a beautiful story in the most beautiful way.


The music in this film also plays a big role, with the classic Unox tune coming in at the end – was this a key element to include for Unox? How was the process of trying to incorporate it?

Just as with every element of the film, we wanted the music to strengthen the story while adding another layer of warmth. That’s where our talented composers came in. It was given that we had to end with the classic Unox theme. The main thing we did with it was slow it down a tiny bit for the first few notes to fit the mood in the end. By the way, fun fact, our composer Sebastiaan Roestenburg was also the composer of the original Unox theme.


Can we expect to see this story develop further in the future?

We definitely hope so. We actually developed a picture book together with TBWA that came out as a collectible in November with beautiful illustrations from our very own Rachelle Slingerland.

‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox‘No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation.’ – Asli Zeren on the film ‘Times are Changing’ for Unox

What are your biggest takeaways/learnings from this project?

No need to sacrifice the storytelling to make a good-looking animation. And that sleep is overrated.


What’s the first thing you do when starting a new project?

We sit down with the Creative and Design team and just start chatting about it, throwing ideas, sketching, drinking, singing, whatever. We come up with some of the most original and unusual ideas at this stage thanks to being very open and trusting with each other while being very different.


How do you, as a team, get creatively inspired?

I believe everyone in the team is very talented on their own but it turns into something magical once it’s shared with each other. I think we all creatively inspire each other because in the end we all just want to create exceptional things.


Best piece of advice for young craft makers?

Don’t forget to play. There’s already so much negativity in the world, we’re fortunate to be a part of something so colourful. Embrace it, share it, make the most of it. And no, being a dick doesn’t make you look cool.

Read more about ‘Times are Changing’ in our Digital Awards Gallery and read the full Jury Feedback Reports here.

To hear more about the film from Asli and her colleague Vincent Lammers, check out our Jury Talks: CRAFT below or see here.