For Google Pixel’s Magic Eraser tool, Anyways and Amplify create a fantastical visual world that “celebrates” erased elements

The project for Google spans an interactive experience and demo film featuring a weird and wonderful land of erased items – from traffic cones to photobombers.

Date
19 May 2022

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We all know that feeling too well, when you’ve taken a picture you love but there’s just one part of it that’s just not quite right. This is exactly the feeling Anyways Creative and Amplify were tasked with embodying in a new project from Google, exploring the Pixel 6 smartphone's new Magic Eraser. To truly bring to life the new tool, which uses AI technology to let you erase unwanted elements, Google called upon the creative agencies to mastermind both a demo film, led by Anyways, and interactive experience, helmed by Amplify, that exemplified the tools playful side. But rather than simply getting rid of what’s been erased, the team at Anyways set themselves down a different route, making use of – and even “celebrating” – the bits and pieces that don’t make the final cut.

To create the tools demo film World of Magic, the Anyways team enlisted the skills of Partizan director Sophia Ray and VFX company Coffee & TV to create a weird and wonderful land. Beginning in what seems to be a fairly day-to-day park, the film quickly shifts into a fantastical alternate land, where aspects that have been erased from photos – a runner, seagull, traffic cone among others – are all “set free”, as described by a recent press release.

With a sprinkling of humour, effortless and shameless transitions, dreamy sound design and brilliant effects the film comes together to portray the wondrous potential of such a sought after tool. Ellen Turnill Montoya, creative director at Anyways, sums up the project and overall approach: “With this concept we wanted to flip what could be an expected product demo on its head, celebrating what has been erased, and where it goes, rather than only the picture-perfect image you are left with at the end.”

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Anyways Creative, Partizan and Coffee & TV: Magic Eraser (Copyright © Google, 2022)

Taking the concept one step further, Amplify took inspiration from the film and created a live experience. Acting as an extension of the film, guests are led through a facade “that evokes a retro high street photo shop” before transporting them through a secret portal in the Unexpected Photo Booth into the wonderful World of Magic. Then, the guest is invited to immerse themselves in a lively photo experience which highlights the vast capabilities of the magic eraser; “from hands-on moments with the feature in the Unexpected Photobooth through to fantastical interactive installations celebrating the Deleted Delights”.

Being responsible for the mammoth task of creative concepting, set design, set building and both 2D and 3D design, Vicky Baker, creative director at Amplify explains that the team: “leaned on all the superpowers of experiential and spatial design to build on the world of the film, immerse guests in the magic and get them hands on with the phone”. The experience will take place for two weeks from 19 May 2022 at 55 Regents Street.

GalleryAnyways Creative, Partizan and Coffee & TV: Magic Eraser (Copyright © Google, 2022)

GalleryAmplify: Magic Eraser (Copyright © Google, 2022)

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Anyways Creative, Partizan and Coffee & TV: Magic Eraser (Copyright © Google, 2022)

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About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) joined the It’s Nice That team as an editorial assistant in November 2021 and soon became staff writer. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in English literature and history, she’s particularly interested in photography, publications and type design.

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