We learned there was a lot more to boxes than meets the eye in the latest Fibre Box Association project. In fact, it’s not just a brown box; it’s a corrugated package, designed to safely ship and protect goods all over the world. Take a behind-the-scenes look at how this out-of-the-box project was created, packaged, and delivered!

The concept stemmed from a desire to better explain to external audiences what the corrugated packaging industry does and how corrugated materials are made in an engaging way. We chose to tell the story of a consumer placing an online order and receiving her package; however, there is so much more to the “box’s journey”, and that is where the idea of a meta-style approach came into play.

Creative Director, Craig Bass, provided his insight on this

“What I think makes this video stand out is the fact that it conveys two tracks of information simultaneously, and seamlessly: while you see the domestic journey of the box itself, the animation atop of it illustrates the larger life cycle of the product. I was very excited with how well this concept played out in the finished product, and have to thank my very talented team for making that happen.”

Production took place in one day in Western Springs, IL. The live action footage follows the physical delivery and receiving of a package. The animation, on the other hand, starts much earlier in the process. As the voiceover states "...the real journey begins in a sustainably managed forest." Through the animation, we are able to walk the audience through the entire corrugated cycle in a clear and concise way. 

Because the animation portion was such a crucial part of this project, we needed a partner that could deliver. We teamed up with Chicago animation studio AppleButter Animated who were up for the challenge. ABA Co-Founder, Jackson Ammenheuser, brought great energy and ideas to the project:

"When Motion Source approached us on this project, we were stoked to collaborate with them! Combining live-action and animated elements allowed us to tell a more in-depth story. Since we had an entirely different canvas (a cardboard box!), we adjusted our approach from our normal storyboard to animation process and got to really consider what the animations would feel like in the context of the real world."

Back in-house, Jeff Bruninga tackled the edit and Hunter Kallenbach added the finishing touches of sound design and color grading. You can see it all come to life when you take the journey below:

I never realized just how much went into making a box. And after this project, we all have a deeper appreciation for a box’s journey, from forest to front door and beyond!

Now that you have seen the final product, check out some of these behind-the-scenes photos.