This CNY Video Was Brought To Life Using Over 500 Paper Cutouts. Watch How They Did It
It's not Photoshop, y'all!!
By Danial Martinus — 20 Jan 2020, 02:50 PM
It's the Year of the Rat, and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recently released a commercial depicting the various ways Chinese New Year is celebrated across the world, as part of their 'World of CNY' campaign
What makes this commercial unique is the use of Chinese paper cutting, an ancient handicraft tradition that dates back all the way to the 6th century! Using only paper and a pair of scissors, and sometimes an engraving knife, intricate shapes and patterns are cut out to form beautiful works of art.
You can check out Mercedes-Benz' own take of this handicraft in the video below:
Using the art of Chinese paper cutting, the characters, patterns, and objects (excluding the fancy Mercedes-Benz) in the video were all made of paper.
With the magic of animation, these paper cutouts were brought to life in the most beautifully-intricate way
Using layers upon layers of paper, everything was painstakingly crafted by hand and brought together to create a sense of depth and emotion. After all the pieces were ready, it was time to film them in their respective 'scenes' and use the power of animation to bring the Chinese paper cutouts to life!
Can you even count how many cut-outs there are?
The commercial was a result of MANY hours spent cutting and shaping cut-outs from red-coloured paper
Watch how all the elements came together to represent CNY across the world:
Requiring a high level of skill and patience, each piece was carefully cut out with razor-sharp precision. Placing the elements in their respective scenes was also another huge task to undertake, since their positioning would define the overall flow of the 'World of CNY'.
With each subject typically requiring anywhere between 10 and 60 layers of paper, the complex nature of the craft is enough to be amazed by. Stemming from generations of paper-cutting, the artists who crafted the paper cut-outs for the commercial thought the concept would be the perfect representation of Chinese art as a whole.
If you're feeling crafty, you can recreate the paper-cut elements of the World of CNY yourself
With the help of downloadable templates, you can follow the step-by-step videos below to bring your 'World of CNY' to life!
1. How to make a Blossom
2. How to make a Rat
3. How to make a Lantern
Enter the World of CNY with Mercedes-Benz!
With amazing offers like 0.88% financing, four free maintenance services, and complimentary comprehensive motoring insurance, now's the most ong time to get a brand-new Mercedes-Benz. With the added benefits of the World of CNY promotion, you're all set for the Year of the Rat!
To learn more about Mercedes-Benz' 'World of CNY' campaign, click here. Have a prosperous Chinese New Year!
