Behind the Bricks with Don't Panic London

We all know how great LEGO is and the timeless toy has continued to drive the imaginations of kids for generations, but what happens when the brand partners up with a controversial company like Shell in the modern world?

A new branded short film for Greenpeace, created by agency Don’t Panic London, offers food for thought by hinting at the potential effects of marketing Shell-branded products to children and invites supporters to back the project with a petition.

Below, Cannes Lion-winning team Martin Stirling, director (pictured, above), and Richard Beer, creative director, talk about the film’s foundations, the issues surrounding the subject and what they hope to achieve with the work.

How did the idea for the film come about? Was it in a petrol garage or did a brief come in from Greenpeace?

RB: We were asked by Greenpeace to come up with an idea for a video to support their #blockShell campaign, and this was it. I'm glad they picked this idea, because it was by far my favourite of the ones we pitched! The inspiration comes from a number of places, not least the many LEGO animated videos in existence, but mostly from the incredible Believe diorama video that drove the Halo 3 marketing campaign many years ago.

I've always been a big gamer, so I remember how evocative that video was; how it brought the world of Halo to life. Adding the oil as the only moving thing in a static world just created that extra level of threat that we felt was needed to drive home the urgency of the message.

Where did you obtain the LEGO products and how long did it all take to put together on set?

MS: It took about three weeks and 120kg of LEGO to build the Arctic diorama. All the LEGO was sourced from friends, Freecycle centres, eBay, Gumtree and had to be sorted by hand into different colours.

How many takes were the oil spilling scenes completed in?

MS: The entire set was treated with a super-hydrophobic chemical so the oil just rolled off allowing for multiple takes with no clean-up involved. Most of the spill scenes were completed in one or two takes.

Tell us about the challenges involved…

MS: I became slightly fetishist about how the oil should look so a major challenge was getting it to move at the right speed whilst maintaining that beautiful viscosity. Also it was difficult to design a tank around the set that could withstand the tonnes of outward pressure created by the weight of the ‘oil'.

What do you hope to achieve with the film and campaign?

RB: We hope to remind people how much they love LEGO and make them want to protect their children's imagination from Shell. You shouldn't advertise to children, especially when they're in their most receptive and imaginative state, and especially when you're an unethical company like Shell who is basically intent on selling our children's future for their own profit anyway. Ultimately, we hope to help end LEGO's partnership with Shell.

What do you think LEGO and Shell’s reaction will be to the film?

RB: Shell will give a standard, boilerplate response. We hope LEGO will be moved, though. They are an ethical company who care about their impact on the world, and we hope they will put children before profits in this instance and end their partnership with Shell.

Do you honestly believe that kids will be misled by the partnership and tell us how?

RB: It's not so much about being misled. It's about LEGO's *cough* Halo effect. Children form subliminal, positive associations with the Shell logo when they play with Shell's LEGO kits - they're having fun and building their own worlds; their minds are open and creative. Their imaginations should be an unspoilt wilderness, yet Shell is there polluting them.

And how did the Jon Snow reference come about?

RB: The Arctic, as much as it is a literal target of Shell, is a metaphor in this instance. This isn't just the Arctic, it's the Arctic of a child's imagination, full of their favourite characters and ideas, from Jon Snow to Hedwig the Owl. Plus, we love Game of Thrones, so...