Jonathan Parkinson from Fresh Eye Film Productions is the first film director outside the borders of the USA to shoot a Microsoft television commercial. The commercial, which is currently flighting on SA screens, has completely exceeded expectations according to the software giant.
Microsoft is changing lives and the ad traces a true story to prove it: Only five years ago Lungi Mtshali was working in a fast food restaurant in Soweto when he underwent training at the Microsoft Digital Village. He is now computer literate, has pursued a career in technology and runs his own company.
White lines were used to illustrate Lungi's career advances. Parkinson explains: "This meant lots of careful planning prior to each shot, visualising how and where the white lines were going to go to look simple and elegant, yet still have that 'naïve, drawn' quality. We first shot the people and then drew the white line animation in post production, which delivered an end product which appeared seamless."
