A 3D printed, hand-crafted, stop-motion animation for Greenpeace Australia’s Forests Campgain, to help shine the light on Australia’s mostly hidden deforestation crisis.

To create the animation within a short production schedule, a replacement animation technique was adopted. This involved Dropbear working with 3D animator Duncan MacDonald, who modelled and built the animal characters using CGI. Once the animated sequences were approved, each frame was 3D printed and hand painted. (There were 77 individual 3D printed models used in the production). Each 3D printed model represented an individual frame of animation that were then shot on set using stop motion animation. 

All the sets were hand crafted using traditional model making techniques and then brought to life using different lighting states and special effects such as haze. Cinematographer; Cesar Salmeron Hoving ACS, shot the spot with a probe lens to lend a sense of real-world scale to the models and sets, facilitating dynamic shots that immersed viewers in the miniature world.

Commissioned by Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Blue Shark is a mixed-media animated short created by Dropbear to expose the devastating impact of industrial longline fishing in the Tasman Sea — one of the world’s most fragile marine ecosystems.

Through a blend of handcrafted collage, expressive 2D animation, and cinematic storytelling, the film follows a baby blue shark caught in the chaos of industrial exploitation. The result is a visceral and emotional journey that captures both the beauty of the ocean and the brutality of longline fishing.

Crafted in collaboration with illustrator Andrea Innocent and Sonar Music, the film’s design language juxtaposes the organic softness of marine life with the mechanical harshness of industrial fishing vessels — creating a bold and arresting visual contrast. The haunting score by Jackson Milas reinforces the emotional tension, driving home Greenpeace’s call to action for the Global Ocean Treaty, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Overview

There’s No Place Like Home is a three-part film series created in collaboration with Greenpeace and Photoplay Films, inspired by NASA’s Vital Signs of the Planet — key indicators showing that our world’s health is in crisis.

The films visualise rising CO₂ levels, sea level rise, and global temperature increase through intimate, handcrafted metaphors. Each chapter takes place inside a tiny room built within a globe — a home within a home — showing how the forces transforming our planet mirror the fragility of the spaces we live in.

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Concept and Execution

The concept was to humanise data through design-driven storytelling, grounding global statistics in small, relatable moments of change. Instead of CGI, every element was built by hand and captured entirely in camera.

The globe was 3D printed, hand painted, and mounted on a motorised rig that allowed it to rotate like a living planet. Each film used real practical effects — micro fog to represent CO₂ buildup, flooding with real water, and controlled fire to depict temperature rise.

Shot with a motion control camera system at Dropbear Studios, the project combined miniature model-making, lighting design, and cinematography to achieve a tactile, cinematic aesthetic that feels both familiar and unsettling.

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Craft and Collaboration

Filmed over three days with cinematographer Simon Higgins (@trickatech), the production demanded precise coordination between physical effects, motion control, and camera movement. The colour grade by Daniel Witt and CJ Dobson at Moodlab brought richness and cohesion to the series, while Oliver Lawrance at Photoplay Films supported the project from its inception.

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Purpose

The series was created as a visual call to action, reminding audiences that climate change isn’t an abstract concept — it’s happening inside our collective home.

When the air thickens, the water rises, and the walls catch fire, there’s nowhere else to go.
There’s no place like home.