When life is good, you dream big – winning the lottery or driving a fancy car. But when you are homeless, your dreams are much smaller – eating a hot meal or having something warm to wear. The Salvation Army, as the biggest non-governmental provider of social services in Canada, makes the small dreams of those in need come true.

The director on this project had been a childhood fan of the Royal National Lifeboard charity's 'automata': you drop in some change and the miniature wooden world is briefly brought to life, triggered by the weight of a coin. In order to evoke this realism the director opted for stop motion animation, designing a physical world which could transform seamlessly from a cold street scene to a warm caring environment with the help of Salvation Army. Sets were built in a way that furniture could slide in and out, in-camera lighting changed from cold to warm frame by frame. With no post production required, a complete visual change occurs over the course of the animation, in the process empowering the person at the heart of this transformation.

The challenge was to create an emotionally resonant piece of fifteen seconds, without being manipulative. Animating stop frame not only allowed us to quickly achieve the right physical look but also to subtle gestures and touches that give the final spots the right emotional warmth in what is a very fleeting moment.