Vaughan Arnell helmed Dogs Trust’s Christmas campaign, teaming up with his wife and Creative Director Anna Arnell to bring a character she had created in 1998 to life.

The spot reminds viewers that dogs are for life, not just for Christmas, through the story of Corky the dog. Creating a connection between Corky and the audience was of the utmost importance to Vaughan, and he used innovative methods to make it happen, using a rod puppet system to create Corky, a borescope lens to shoot each scene, and bringing in the incredible teams from Absolute and Factory to tackle the post and music, respectively.

Shots spoke with both Vaughan and Anna to get their perspectives on the unique beginnings of the project, working together for a good cause, and all of the technical elements that led to a finished project they were proud of. Read the interview now and check out the campaign above or on Vaughan’s reel.