Pet rabbits have been genetically modified to become extraordinarily cute, fluffy, and utterly dumb.
Yet, Rabbits wouldn't have made it to the great Chinese Lunar Cycle Zodiac if they didn't have something special.
Inescapably, we had to bow to the client's request to feature the ubiquitous cute bunny.
But we also drew from the Monkey King legend to magically reveal the powerful best of breed-er...
Entirely drawn and animated in-house.

Drums and dragons and lions - oh my! 

In the 15 years we have been filming in Hong Kong, there is not much that compares to getting amongst the Chinese New Year celebrations. 

When you are tasked to capture all this vibrant energy we were definitely spoiled for choice at The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong with 10 lions, a dragon and a dozen drummers filling their hotel lobby. 

On the 7th consecutive year producing a video for their annual showcase, we kicked things up a notch for Gammon's 60th anniversary.

Looking at the company's future, instead of the past, we focussed on the multifaceted technology of IDPD - Integrated Digital Project Delivery.

Our task was to boil down all this information as concisely and memorably as possible to encapsulate all the digital platforms involved.

We collaborated with multiple departments, managed several stakeholders and worked with different file types.

In fact, our coverage of IDPD was so thorough that some of the stakeholders were not even aware that some of these processes even existed!

When Le Souvenir Français approached us to create a movie for their annual gala fundraising dinner we knew that it was going to be a tough sell. 

Look around, war memorials and the wellbeing of ex-servicemen are not exactly hot topics at the moment. 

So we put our communication skills into action to help a cause that gives back to those who honoured their country in their service.

The fundraising efforts were a great success when our little Paul and Mei characters turned an otherwise formal dinner upside down and struck a strong emotional chord in the audience. 

After a successful soft opening, it was only a matter of time until The Murray Hotel was paid a visit by these bringers of good luck and fortune.

Balanced by vibrant Chinese New Year themed b-roll, we packaged scenes of the dancers into this video greeting card.

It was a humbling opportunity to work with one of the best Lion Dance troupes in Hong Kong, Ha Kwong Cheong Group, with whom we collaborated to channel the true spirit of this celebration.

Shaheen Sports Club, building character since 1982, celebrated their 35th anniversary partnering with Filmages to pay homage to their youth football and hockey teams.

Our videographers were just getting warmed up as they took to the streets of Mong Kok to visit Shaheen Home Base. Then, with a freshly broken sweat, we got stuck into the action as they battled it out at Adidas Sports Base.

With this tribute we thank the coaches for instilling the spirit of sportsmanship and creativity in the youth, and helping us shed a few ounces at the same time.

Question: What do the Moon, Burgundy wine, Jules Verne, and a WWI French airman's organization have in common?
Answer: Les Ailes Brisées

Find out more in this simple but moving interview with a banker, loving brother, and knight of La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.

Animation adds a greater flexibility to storytelling that's appealing to more than just kids!

Layered with a professional and upbeat voice over track that spread like butter to bread, a pop-up graphic style gave their message a storybook quality to end a chapter in their company history.

Our clients and friends from La Rose Noire were celebrating their 25th anniversary, and we had the priviledge to write their stage's script. Here is the first excerpt:

"If the whole story of the universe, since its creation to today, was measured as 1 year,
our solar system would only appear on the last quarter,
birds and flowers would only appear in the last 3 days,
humans would only appear in the last minute,
and modern history would only start in the last 5 seconds.

So 25 years is not much, really.
One can argue that it is a quarter of a Century; but in the grand cosmic scheme it is virtually nothing, less than a blink of an eye, and it is humbling.

Yet, the 25 years that we are celebrating today represent an incredible journey,
filled with wonderful people,
hard work,
amazing achievements,
and I hope you will agree; delicious outcome.. "

The sights and sounds that herald Chinese New Year celebrations are infectious.

With this much energy in the air our cameramen stay agile as The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong indulged their guests with a colourful performance from a traditional Lion Dance troupe.

What's not to love about a New Year's Eve party?

Well, one with media crews that get in your face and in the way of your good time.

The good news is we've mastered the art of filming in stealth mode.

Filmages does their utmost to minimise disturbance to guests and work alongside hotel staff and security, all while moving our crew and gear among the large crowd incognito.

2015 marked the 5th anniversary of Landmark's flagship "Boutique Boulevard" event, brings the music and fashion worlds together for a glamorous celebration.

Flown in especially for the occasion was singer and style icon, Rita Ora, whose performance of chart-topping hits had guests dancing the night away.

Covering such an action-packed evening spread across Landmark's 5 buildings and 80 participating boutiques required careful time and resource management.

Additionally, we provided photographic coverage throughout the evening.

Capturing the blazing speed at which our urban environment is evolving is a rare treat. We felt honoured that, for the 4th year in a row, Gammon asked us to produce a creative presentation of their annual review.
At the time we were weather and authorisation dependent so the shooting stretched over several weeks. But not to worry, right off the bat we created an overall structure that allowed us to build this movie with maximum flexibility.

Combining various techniques such as drone and helicopter aerial filming, timelapses, hyperlapses, steadycam, jib cranes, and many other in-house tricks, we created a piece that illuminated Gammon's technical innovation.
We made it look easy, but we guarantee that (a little) blood and sweat were key components in the making of this movie.

Filmages are delighted to offer you our head-onistic Halloween Mooncakes.

Quality guaranteed with a 28-day minimum Head-Yolk maturation period.

Every bite is devilish-ious.

Ludo ensures that flavour, texture and presentation play well together in his desserts. 

Sample his sweet treats while taking in the views of Victoria Harbour at The Verandah.

Trust us, they look just as delcious as they taste.

"It holds many memories for people like me who grew up in this city" 

Chef Andy Cheng fondly remembers the Peninsula Hotel (Hong Kong) and its iconic Lobby, where guests come to unwind, dine, and become a part of Hong Kong lore. 

The Peninsula's famous Spring Moon mini egg custard mooncakes are both coveted and limited over the Mid-Autumn Festival period.
Chef Frankie Tang gives us an insight into how these handmade mouthfuls of joy are created.

The Peninsula Hong Kong's legendary French Restaurant welcomed back two of its former chefs for an Gaddi's Alumni weekend.

In August 2014 former Gaddi's chefs Daniel Lichtensteiger, who previously graced the restaurant from 1990 to 1994, and Philip Sedgwick, who helmed the kitchen from 1999 to 2004, returned to the site of past glories alongside current Gaddi's Chef Rémi van Peteghem and Executive Pastry Chef Ludovic Douteau. Between them, the four culinary wizards concocted a series of spellbinding dining experiences that combine signature dishes from the past and present to captivating effect.

Our memoir video captured the extraordinary talent, synergy and friendship of the quartet.

Trying to act natural around Hong Kong's elite and a star-studded musical line-up featuring CoCo Lee and Katharine McPhee was no easy feat.

In amongst the foliage we caught glimpses of runway fashion, personal styling, tailoring and craftmanship demonstrations, and countless photos ops.

The key was to blend in to capture the flow of the evening's celebrations, and their guests in their natural element.

A jewellery box of handmade heart-shaped chocolates,
2,000 premium Ecuadorian red roses,
a fleet of 14 Rolls Royce Phantoms,
set amongst a breathtaking view of Victoria Harbour...

... all converge to create a timeless moment of gastronomic excellence and romance.

When it comes to decorating for the holidays, there should be no half measures.

The Peninsula brought in the festive cheer with full force, building a life-sized gingerbread house and a giant model train set, and of course, there was still room for a Christmas tree!

Shot over three consecutive nights, the crew became completely jetlagged but had to quickly shift back to other daytime shootings before shifting back once again for New Year's Eve party.

When it comes to a Gammon project, no angle is off-limits.
From a crane tower, 160 meters underground, or high up in the air, we get the shot.

This movie was produced to work in both single-screen presented here, and as multi-screen version

When it comes to a Gammon project, no angle is off-limits.
From a crane tower, 160 meters underground, or high up in the air, we get the shot.

This movie was produced to work in both multi-screen presented here, and as single-screen version
 

The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong are producing a special range of products and activities in support of Breast Cancer Awareness throughout the month of October.

Proceeds from the "Peninsula in Pink" campaign went to the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Family Registry.

The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong are a creating a special range of products in support of Breast Cancer Awareness throughout the month of October. "Peninsula in Pink" is a campaign with proceeds going to the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry.

This video features Ludovic Douteau, the Executive Pastry Chef at The Peninsula Hong Kong and he creates the Pink Opera Cake.

The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong are a creating a special range of products in support of Breast Cancer Awareness throughout the month of October. "Peninsula in Pink" is a global campaign with proceeds going to Breast Cancer charities here in Hong Kong.

This video features Hovan Lam, the Senior Bartender at The Peninsula Hong Kong and he creates the Pink Amour Cocktail, a delightful French themed cocktail.

How many steps does it take to get married?
According to Hongkong Land, only 53.

This shoot was particularly challenging, as we had to adapt and overcome the conditions placed on us by the Photo-shoot and Mother Nature.

In shooting a behind the scenes of a photo shoot, we must discreetly capture every aspect of the photo shoot, without ever delaying or disturbing the primary shoot.

My mother told me to never play with my food, but I can't help it...

It was early morning in Istanbul, the city was still surprisingly chilled as the summer heat was about to turn up. I had two hours of quiet all to myself. Bliss...

As I sat in the bar terrace and ordered a turkish coffee, the Owner offered a plate of decadent mille-feuille he had just prepared.
As he sprinkled the icing sugar, I immediately thought about the cute glass penguins I had just bought for my kids.
The idea for a stop-motion animation hit me like a bolt of lightning and tout-de-suite shot the sequence in less than an hour.

Besides, I was too hungry to make myself wait to bite into that crispy pastry any longer

Together with the Filmages Team, we pieced it together as our way to wish you a wonderful and creative Springtime!

In celebration of their 110th anniversary and their long-standing relationship with this great city icon, HK Tramways approached Filmages to produce a series of promotional videos.

You can watch a shorter version of the movie, which was made as an opening trailer for the French Film Festival.

HSBC Marketing Fame Awards

Kids helping kids be kids with the help of some child-sized teddy bears, Landmark taught young people about the gift of giving.

In the fashion of a scavenger hunt, these kids raced around Landmark to buy gifts for children of the Make-A-Wish foundation and their families.

A 28-metre long, 19-metre wide and 7-metre tall sculpture, filled with rolling baubles.

This tour-de-force sculpture, designed and built by European artist Hanns-Martin Wagner, is called the "Infinite Joy Rolling Sculpture" and certainly brought endless joy to Landmark's shoppers.

With a prop of this scale, we had to accurately plan where our cameras needed to be to capture it's momentum. 
 

From humble beginnings in 1958 with the construction of a new runway at the Kai Tak Airport, Gammon Construction has weathered more than five decades of market changes, social and economic fluctuations and regional developments that have shaped the modern engineering landscape.

To celebrate 55 years as one of the premier construction companies in Asia, Gammon commissioned Filmages to produce a faithful and vibrant portrait of its remarkable achievements and current activities.

As it goes with construction industry, our crew and gear were put to the test going deep underground to high up in the air in a helicopter. 

HK Tramways was bought out in April 2011 by a French JV between RATP (the Parisian MTR) and Véolia Transportation. Most low income people were worried that foreign investment would take advantage and raise fares. The general public was also very worried about the future of their beloved Ding-Ding. So far the new management has been very respectful of the tradition and is doing its best to modernize the fleet whilst remaining the lowest travel fare in Hong Kong.

With a limited budget and enormous logistical constraints due to the nature of the railways lines, Filmages chose to portray the evolution of the city and its architecture by following the same woman through 4 distinct eras:
- Pre-WWII (1904-1945) with elegant Cheongsam or Qipao
- The 50s and 60s, with the emergence of a growing female working force
- The eccentric 70’s
- Modern-day with a natural look with a touch of Chinese silk tradition.

Special thanks to Charlot Kryza (Stylist), Jan (Model) & Jojo (Hair & Make-up)
Another version of that movie was created for the Hong Kong Tramways 110th Anniversary
 

To celebrate 20 years on top of the industry Hong Kong born superstar Karen Mok displayed 20 hand-selected exhibits, giving fans an intimate look at Mok's rise and the making of 'Moknificence'.

In this behind-the-scenes video Mok gives us a look at her Golden Melody Awards, Hong Kong Film award, and her days back in Kowloon. 

Ice sculptors, fire-tossing bartenders, and an indoor ski lift...

To properly commemorate Hongkong Land’s Christmas extravaganza we edited the events of the evening into contrast.
While alternating between visuals of elegance and of eccentricity we reverse paired them together with classical and heavy metal music.

The FCCIHK contacted Filmages requesting a celebratory centrepiece for the leaving party for one of their colleagues. This whole video was shot on a Saturday, on a tight budget and all done in a few hours.

A special mention has to go to the cast as they spent many hours sneaking in rehearsals so their colleague would be none the wiser!

Under the Song Dynasty (420), the 15th day of the 8th lunar month was officially declared the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it would never be complete without the famous Moon Cake delicacy.

We go in to the kitchen and observe how Chefs Frankie Tang and Yip Wing Wah prepare to make a staggering 470,000 moon cakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, using the Peninsula's unique recipe of a traditional dough mixed with a British-inspired custard filling.

Leaving a rainy Scotland, our hero arrives in Hong Kong, and enjoys the cultural shock before adapting to his new life…

Collaborating with the very talented illustrator Harry Harrison (SCMP, Wall Street Journal), we concentrated all our efforts on animating his two-dimensional drawings.

We intially received them in black and white, then applied various composition tricks to bring elements of cinema to the illustrations. Additionally, we supplied the storyboards, sound effects and Scottish voice over.

Two weeks, roughly 160 drawings and several coffee breaks later, we delivered a unique anniversary video for a private event hosted by Eventsman.

Unfamiliar with the subtle distinctions between whiskey and whisky? Between wheat, barley, malt and rye?
Missing knowledge about pit moss, oak barrels?
Hongkong Land VIPs were treated with an evening of spirited knowledge with the gold liquor guru Ron Taylor and his unmistakable Scottish accent.

We must say that the dark environment stretched the limit of our camera's ISO sensitivity down to its knee.

We had worked with L'Oréal's travel retail marketing team on several projects, so to celebrate their huge achievements they wanted to make a fun, team-spirited video.

At this time it seemed like every company felt like a Lip-Dub video was a must-do.

But we were more than happy to indulge, because we had a lot of fun working in harmony with the staff. 

A time for celebration is also a time of reflection.

Filmages was granted access to some of Coles Group's earliest footage to take a look back at it's humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia and it's early growth into the Asia Pacific region.

Check out part 2 here

As the decades roll on we become bigger and better beings.

Coles Group Asia saw unprecendented growth in the 80s and 90s, and even stood strong during the recession.

Filmages looks back at the early days of business and how the group established themselves as a leading global merchandiser and buyer.

Check out part 3 here 

As we arrive at the present day, it's impossible to forget the people who helped get us here.

Filmages pays a tribute in the final act of Coles Group Asia's anniversary video to the hard work of it's employees.

Over time the American Club became a lot more than a home-away-from-home for US expatriates.

It became a place where all expatriates and locals alike could socialise, network, and create a friendly atmosphere with an american twist.

It rightfully became part of Hong Kong's heritage, and the American Club wanted to capture the voice of their long-standing members and their fondest memories.

To mark the first year anniversary of the takeover of Lehman Brothers Asia-Pacific operations, Japanese corporate and investment bank, Nomura, asked Filmages to produce a documentary-style video.

An edited version of the Kroos 125 year anniversay video memoir.

To support Mr W.K. Tam’s candidacy as Vice-President of the Lions Club International Filmages created a full campaign including a communication strategy, visual identity, print materials, and a few video segments to spice up the website.

We were fortunate to follow Mr Tam to Beijing, to meet with and interview Ms Tai Lua, General Director of the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe, and get a glimpse of their famous Thousand Hand Dance.

We quickly discovered that there was something fishy about this project: it was shot over several weeks, in several locations, by several people, and yielded a large amount of footage, with many exposure, grain, and flickering problems. 

Yet there was very little time left to edit! 

It was our challenge to efficiently organise and edit all of the footage into a cohesive storyline and turn it into a great corporate documentary.

You tell us how we did. 

We rarely do private events, but Jacques Boissier is a good friend of ours. 

Jacques is a Frenchman, and is a keen diver; the ultimate frogman, as some might say.

Now here's the special part: We took photos of his friends during the cocktail party, edited them in to the video during the dinner, and showed the video just before dessert, ending the night on a high note.

Needless to say the attendees were pleased by the animation, and even more amazed to see themselves in the video.

What does the Rugby World Cup and Societe Generale have in common? Turns out, quite a lot! 

As a title sponsor, SG organised public screenings and took the opportunity to make that relationship crystal clear by regularly broadcasting this breaker promo.

In this video we put the corporate values of Societe Generale side by side with the elements of Rugby.

By intertwining corporate materials with the World Cup we were able to celebrate the conjunction of these two organisations and make a compelling breaker for the Cup. 

We made art come alive! Societe Generale has a lavish art collection at their Paris headquarters, but the rule is; artwork can't travel abroad.

For the SGCIB Asia-Pacific event team that was a big caveat, and that's where we came in. 

Using our knowledge of art history we dissected some 20 different art pieces, and based on stills, created tailor-made animations for each of them to reveal their uniqueness.

Projected on huge screens during SGCIB's events, this allowed our client to raise their profile and help their guests discover great artwork in an entertaining way.

For their extravagant launch party Woori needed a video to announce the debut of their new Global Market to 250 of Asia-Pacific's top bankers and officials. 

We proposed to cast CNN Financial News journalist Lorraine Hahn to anchor the video and spin the story as if it was an interview-based financial reportage. We also proposed to play a ubiquity trick, starting the story in a studio, continuing in Seoul, then seamlessly transitioning to Hong Kong.

To the surprise of everyone in the room, the CEO agreed to the strategy and immediately awarded us the job.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong we jumped into the past and organised a giant timeline. From the Kai Tak closure to the Octopus Card, from World Cup 98 to SARS; we selected events that struck a chord in the French expatriate community.

But first, to swing into animation we had to source a number of visual elements. Try to count them as you watch the video and you will understand the challenge.

This video was the highlight of the evening, triggering many discussion between the FCCIHK members and their guests.

Let's do the Time Warp again!