How Illogic Studios built paper textures lighting and luxury packshots for Guerlain The Tale of Wonders
Guerlain’s The Tale of Wonders highlights the creative and technical approach developed by Illogic Studios for a Christmas campaign shaped by elegance, poetry, and visual continuity. As with every Guerlain holiday production, the artistic ambition is described as especially high, with the brand’s refined identity needing to remain present throughout the films. This direction led Medusa Malherbe agency to propose a magical concept in which paper animals come to life inside a perfumer’s workshop.
The campaign is built around a strong sense of consistency across multiple platforms. Origami landscapes and animals are not limited to the film itself, but also appear in store windows, on the website, and in the brand’s print materials. This continuity gives the project a cohesive visual language and allows the campaign world to extend beyond moving image into a full branded environment. The idea supports a unified festive identity while maintaining the delicacy associated with Guerlain.
Illogic Studios explains that the concept immediately stood out because of its potential to become a charming and spectacular film. From the beginning, the team and the agency aligned on the way this miniature world should be filmed. The visual direction focused on immersive camera movements and a sensation of being carried quickly through different universes, with new surprises appearing in each scene. At the same time, freshness and poetry remained central to the tone. The film structure was also designed as a crescendo, beginning softly and gradually increasing in scale and intensity as it unfolds.
To achieve the desired level of spectacle, the production required solving many technical challenges, including the number of sets, the number of characters, and the FX work. The main challenge was the representation of paper in 3D. To create a convincing paper texture, Illogic Studios collaborated with Marvin Büte, a German CG artist with a strong passion for origami. His expertise made it possible to reproduce the look of crumpled and slightly folded paper with authenticity, including small imperfections that give the surfaces charm. This was essential to the project’s visual identity and helped shape hummingbirds, elephants, and chameleons that feel vivid and expressive.
Lighting was another key element in elevating the film. Great care was given to building an atmosphere that feels both magical and premium. One of the most effective ideas was to make the light appear as if it emanated from within the animals and spread through the paper itself. This approach reinforced the sense of wonder while supporting the refined aesthetic expected from a luxury campaign.
The packshots continue this attention to detail. Illogic Studios notes its ongoing collaboration with luxury brands and its commitment to depicting jewelry and fragrances with authenticity. For this film, the products were given a handcrafted feel through subtle irregularities and imperfections. Every detail was handled meticulously so that lines were not perfectly straight and surfaces were not completely smooth, as in real life. Even when barely noticeable, these choices make the objects feel less digital and more charming on screen.
All images courtesy of Illogic Studios, shared with permission
https://www.illogicstudios.com/
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