THE BIG BUSINESS OF REFUGEES by DEVICE

Client
Cear
Director
Device
Services
2D Animation
Characters
Illustration
Original Short Film
Non-Profit

CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado) contacted Device with the intention to launch a video to denounce the refugees crisis.

With the idea of wanting to shake an already saturated audience from all the information they access, we articulated our proposal from an ironic and satirical tone and a content with which the audience will be initially shocked and disturbed.

Thanks to CEAR’s values and trust, we created a story that allowed us to speak honestly and with no euphemisms about how the EU’s crisis of values is constructing a perfect scenario for the existence and proliferation of illegal and insecure ways of transportation of people, and all in hands of mafias.

In order to provoke the viewers’ empathy and reach their attraction, we based the campaign on the classic “get-rich-today” infomercial format, aiming to add a recognizable contemporary language such as startup entrepreneurship. The script was developed along with Carlos Serra, co-founder of the agency Hermosa, who helped us to elaborate Mr. Hope’s chatterbox speech, touched by his opulent and arrogant personality.

The story is conveyed through a series of stereotyped attitudes and sceneries showing Mr Hope’s trickster luxury and his materialistic success, all exaggerated to best contrast with the refugees’ cruel, unfortunate reality. We used a slimy-finished illustration style which further caricatured the situation to reinforce the main message. Gratefully accompanied by Javi Vaquero as the lead animator, we chose a stylized yet optimized cel animation, that would allow us to particularly focus on the most essential details, emphasizing content over form.

The biggest challenge was to convince CEAR embracing our idea of a louder, courageous message to shock an audience over-saturated by sad images, as well as organizing the vast information and data we wanted to discuss, and fit it clearly into a two-minute video. We thank CEAR for believing in an idea that openly defies the EU by putting the cards flat on the table.

PROJECT CREDITS
A Film Written & Directed by
Device
Produced by
BOL Creative Production House
Executive Producer
Marcello Buselli
Directors
Marcello Buselli & Ibran Trassierra
Script
Carlos Serra, Marcello Buselli & Ibran Trassierra
Art Direction
Raül Peix & Eudald Salarich
Illustration
Raül Peix & Eudald Salarich
Cel Animation
Javi Vaquero
Additional Animation
Eudald Salarich, Pere Hernández, Pau Anglada & Rafa Andrade
2D Animation
Ibran Trassierra, Pol Solà & Marcello Buselli
Clean-Up
Pau Anglada, Rafa Andrade & Carlos Majuelos
Compositing
Marcello Buselli
Music & Sound Design
Raül Peix
Recording Studios
Idea Sonora
English V.O.
Robert Patterson & Josephine Grundy
Spanish V.O.
Joan Carles Gustems & Belén Roca
Special Thanks
Sergi Roda (BlackBox), Onda Estudios, Joan Carles Gustems, Belén Roca, Niall Downing, Inés Massa & CEAR

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AI

BOL’s Approach to AI

At BOL, artistry and craftsmanship are at the heart of everything we create. We’re a human-led production house, guided by curiosity, care, and the belief that storytelling can expand consciousness and shape culture for the better.

AI is part of today’s creative landscape — but for us, it’s always a tool in service of human creativity, never a replacement for it. We use it thoughtfully, only when it makes sense, and always with transparency.  At BOL, we see AI not as a trend, but as a transformative instrument. One that, when used responsibly, can extend the reach of human imagination. We integrate AI only where it enhances our creative process, respects human authorship, and amplifies the emotional impact of every story we tell.

We believe technology should respond to real human needs, not create them artificially. That’s why we pause to ask: What is the problem for which this technology is the solution? If the answer isn’t clear, we don’t use it. For us, critical reflection comes before execution.

Here’s what that means for our clients:

- Human first: All creative direction and final decisions rest with our directors, artists, and producers.
- Transparency: If we use AI at any stage, you’ll know about it.
- Consent: We won’t include AI-generated elements in final work without your approval.
- Ethics,  Safety & Compliance: We never use AI trained on unlicensed data or in ways that put copyright or originality at risk.
- Accountability: We take full responsibility for the compliance, quality, and ownership of your final deliverables.

By setting these boundaries, we give our partners peace of mind. Working with BOL means your story is told with integrity, originality, and care — blending the possibilities of technology with the irreplaceable artistry of people.

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