The Art of Craft: Ben Cronin and Sebastian Caldwell on VFX for Virgin Media O2 ‘Walrus Whizzer’
Thinkbox and British Arrows are once again championing the behind-the-scenes craft that takes TV advertising from ordinary to unforgettable, with ‘The Art of Craft: VFX’.
The episode is the fourth in a series that powerfully makes the case for investment in advertising craft. Titled ‘The Art of Craft’, each film introduces audiences to a piece of Craft Arrow-winning work through the lens of a specific discipline, by giving the microphone to production and post production specialists to reveal how their expertise brought a creative vision to life in an outstanding way.
So far, the series has platformed Love Song director, Elliott Power, on EE ‘Freedom’; Absolute’s creative director of colour, Philip Hambi, on Burger King ‘We Give Up’; and tenthree editor, Ellie Johnson, on Bodyform/Libresse ‘Never Just a Period’.
This time, Untold Studios creative director, Ben Cronin, and VFX supervisor, Sebastian Caldwell dive into the visual effects of Virgin Media O2 and VCCP’s ‘Walrus Whizzer’ – the third chapter in their ‘To Better and Beyond’ campaign. As well as a Craft Gold in VFX, the humorous film also picked up a Craft Silver for Animation: CGI, and helped Untold Studios secure the title of Craft Company of the Year. The VFX team was also bestowed a Bronze Cannes Lion for their work, an AICP, and shortlists at D&AD and VES.
Above: Thinkbox and British Arrows ‘The Art of Craft: VFX’
Creative director Ben has over 25 years of experience working alongside acclaimed directors including Jeff Low, Kim Gehrig, Andreas Nilsson, James Rouse, Sam Brown, Tom Kuntz, Traktor, Raine Allen Miller, Noam Murro, and Danny Kleinman. He joined Untold Studios from Framestore, where he was responsible for some of the most acclaimed works of advertising in recent times, including Sainsbury’s ‘Mog’s Christmas Calamity’ and M&S’ ‘Paddington & The Christmas Visitor’. At Untold, he’s worked on celebrated films including Hornbach’s ‘It Seems Impossible Until You Do It’, Avanti’s ‘Feel Good Travel’, John Lewis’ ‘Showtime’, Frito-Lay’s ‘Flamin’ Hot’, and DirecTV ‘Frank & Bobby’.
VFX supervisor Sebastian, Untold’s home-grown talent and one of its very first employees, has also worked on some of the creative studio’s highest profile projects, including NerdWallet’s 2025 Super Bowl commercial, 'Genius Beluga', and Coors’ 'Fresh Ride'. Known for his creature work, he brings a meticulous eye to every project, consistently pushing the quality of Untold's work.
Above: Virgin Media O2 ‘Walrus Whizzer’
