Hot Spots Showcase 2: The Best in Animated & VFX Commercials

In our 2003 Commercials issue, we introduced the Hot Spots Showcase, a collection of some of the best animated and visual effects commercials. It was a major hit. If youre wondering why people would take their time to sit down and actually watch commercials, its because this sector of the industry is where experimentation and innovation often originate.

We put out a call for entries and here weve compiled, in alphabetical order, the best of what we received. We have spots, IDs, PSAs and music videos. Each entry highlights different uses of animation and visual effects from 2D character animation to enhanced graphic design. Some are for big corporations and others are for local businesses. Here is an opportunity to sit back and check out the detail and artistry that goes into advertising spots.

A52

For this project, noted filmmaker, DP and still-photographer Andrew Douglas was tasked with going from start-to-finish in a matter of weeks... and he quickly enlisted the talents of A52.

For the first of their many photoreal feats on this project, A52s CG department of Denis Gauthier, Westley Sarokin and Ivan DeWolf tracked that stock scene using 3Dequalizer by Science-D-Visions, then created the CG water that rises some 900-feet above the citys streets in the finished scene using Side Effects Softwares Houdini. Douglas, VFX supervisor/Inferno artist Patrick Murphy and producer Ron Cosentino and crew then traveled to New York City to shoot a number of background plates from various Manhattan rooftops.

Back at the A52 studio, under Douglas direction, Murphy and Cosentino began working with flat telecine passes of all the live-action elements to be used in the spots scores of effects shots. Murphy used Discreet inferno to color-grade the exterior footage and also added lightning strikes, fog and other atmospheric effects. Since there were no real windows in the conference room scenes, Murphy added the windows and the appropriate views outside, including CG and 2D rain and storm lighting effects.

For a scene showing Wall Street under 10 feet of rising water, Murphy composited the foreground shot (filmed in Los Angeles), a live-action hot dog cart, signature New York buildings and the CG water from A52s CGI team. All the spots CG elements were created in Houdini and rendered using Pixars RenderMan.

Credits for iShares Clean Slate A52 exec producer: Darcy Leslie ParsonsA52 managing director: Rick Hassen A52 producer: Ron CosentinoVFX supervisor/Inferno artist: Patrick MurphyCG artists: Denis Gauthier, Westley Sarokin and Ivan DeWolfDiscreet flame artist: Marguerite Cargill Venables, Bell and Partners:Producer: Craig Allen Creative directors: Greg Bell and Paul VenablesArt director: Ray Andrade Copywriter: Kevin FrankAnonymous Content:Exec producers: Andy Traines and Dave Morrison Producer: Suzanne HargroveMad River Post:Editor: Michael Elliot,Exec producer: Scott Ward, Producer: Janie FordAssistant editor: Inome CallahanAmber Music:Composer: Mike Hewer Exec producer: Michelle CurranNoises Digital:Sound designer: Kim B. ChristensenPlay:Mixer: John Bolen Producer: Pam Doyle

Acme Filmworks

Animation house Acme Filmworks and advertising agency Fallon of Minneapolis have created the first of three spots as part of a new global brand campaign for United Airlines. Interview, directed by Academy Award-nominated animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, begins with the main character preparing for a job interview. He catches a United Airlines jet and flies into the big city only to notice at one point that he is wearing one brown and one black shoe. The music accompanying is a version of the George Gershwin classic Rhapsody in Blue, arranged and produced by Elizabeth Myers and John Trivers of Trivers/Myers Music. Interview was shot first in live action, on a Sony DV camera, using actors. The footage was imported into the Apple G4 computer and sorted using iMovie. The best takes were imported to Adobe After Effects 6.0, where each shot was broken down into individual frames and weeded the process of removing, adding, and adjusting frames to create a more dynamic or stylized movement. These shots were output as Quicktimes 6.0 and then imported to Macromedia Flash MX, where heads, hands and other elements were drawn on top of the live action. After this step, each shot was printed out as individual black-and-white images, which were hand-painted using oil sticks, color shapers and pencil. These frames were scanned into the computer, touched up in Adobe Photoshop CS and composited in After Effects 6.0.

You cant replicate that look in the computer. A lot of people think computers can do everything and imitate every aspect of real life, but they have a very difficult time replicating an activity like painting, says Forbis.

Credits for United Airlines Interview Directors/painters/Flash animators: Wendy Tilby & Amanda ForbisExec producer: Ron DiamondProducer: Holly StoneProduction coordinator: Permille DAvolio Supervising technical director/compositor/digital clean-up/matte cutting: Michael ODonnellCompositor/digital clean-up/matte cutting; Scott ColemanDigital clean-up/matte cutting: Carrie Kost & Ryan WheartyPainter/Flash animation: Louise JohnsonPainters: Anjan Bhatt, Tim Westbury, Deborah Tilby, Joel Parod, Gina Georgousis & Joan DoyleFlash animation: Anna Saunders, Claire Armstrong-Parod & Rinat GazizovEditor: George KhairFallon, Minneapolis:President/worldwide creative director: David LubarsCreative director: Bruce BilsteinGroup creative director: Stuart DRozarioArt director: Bob BarrieDirector of broadcast/North America: Brian DiLorenzoSenior producer: Kate TalbottProducer: Sofia Akinyele-TrokeyPost Logic Studios/Hollywood:Inferno artist: Bill CoffinColorist: Joe CookMargarita Mix de Santa Monica:Mixer: Jimmy HiteTrivers/Myers Music:Arrangers/producers: Elizabeth Myers & John Trivers

Blur Studio

This spot for Reebok and the Arnell Group features an above-the-rim duel between two of the NBAs best point guards Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets and Baron Davis of the New Orleans Hornets. The hoops stars trade stunning three pointers and devastating slam-dunks that leave the basketball court in ruins. The fun of the spot comes from how quickly the players court feats escalate from the merely super-human to the totally outrageous. Davis supreme act has him ricocheting the ball of an air duct and a light stanchion, before catching it and dropping it through the rim in a backward slam-dunk. He then flips his body behind the rim and lands gracefully atop the backboard. Its pure fantasy, but its fantasy that is inspired by the real talents and personalities of Baron Davis and Steve Francis. In order to make lifelike models of the two players, Blur Studio sent an artist to meet them on the road and take digital photographs of their facial and body features. Realistic motion was achieved through motion capture technology. Blur brought in professional basketball players who were recommended to it by Davis to mimic the moves of the two stars. Tim Miller, writer/director

Credits for Reeboks Crashes the Boards Writer/director: Tim MillerCG supervisor: Kevin MargoCG producer: Sherry WallaceStoryboards & concept art: Chuck Wojtkiewicz & Sean McNallyLayout animator: David NibbelinCG animators: Wim Bien, Jean Dominique Fievet, Makoto Koyama, Remi McGill, Derron Ross, George Schermer & Tim MillerModelers: Sze Chen, Zach Cork, Alexandre Litchinko, Kevin Margo, Laurent Pierlot, Seung Youb Shin, Jonas Thornqvist & Tim WallaceFinishing & lighting: Kevin MargoVisual effects: Dabiel Perez Ferreira, Kevin Margo & Kirby MillerRigging & cloth simulation: Paul HormisAnimation technical director: Jon JordanEnd tag graphics creative director: Jennifer MillerEnd tag graphics senior designer: Norm KittiaksornEnd tag graphics animators: Wonhee Lee & Emmett DziezaEnd tag graphics producer: Beth ElderMotion-capture supervisor: John BuntMotion-capture data clean-up: Ryan GirandMotion-capture actors: Kevin Bradley, Rico Hines & Elimu NelsonGraffiti concepts: Ayumi ChisolmProduction coordinator: Debbie YuProduction assistant: Amanda PowellProgramming & systems administration: Duane Powell, Daemeon Nicolaou, Matt Newell & Barry RobisonMusic: David NorlandSound design & recording: Outpost SoundArnell Group:Ceo/cco: Peter ArnellExec creative director: Steve StouteExec producer: Miriam FranklinWorldwide group account director: Jennifer JacobsenAccount director: Amy Olsen

Click 3x

This was a great opportunity for Click 3x to do fresh, fun and edgy work. Our aim was to communicate the vitality and fun of the show through rich, playful stop-motion animation. The attention to detail gives the piece its magic, it makes its world come to life. Our team spent two days creating the spots quirky urban setting, two more days shooting the stop-motion and three days in post-production. To speed the process, the production team produced high-resolution QuickTime movies of select scenes so that the post-production team could immediately set to work on the compositing. Model-makers created the spots cast of characters by using make-up and costuming to give preexisting models individual character and personality.

In order to make the dolls talk, we shot digital video footage of the mouths of actors reading the dialogue. We color corrected the real life lips to match the lighting of the scene and comped them, using 3D deformation, onto the dolls. Our technique gave us the flexibility to adjust the look. It could have been very broad or subtle and photoreal. Iain Greenway, creative director

Credits for MTVs Pimp My Ride Click 3x:Creative director: Iain GreenwayExec producer: Abbie DanielArt director: Zachary KinneyPartner/technical director: Peter CorbettLead visual effects artist: Mark SzumskiVisual effects artist: Bryce BarrosEditor: Rob CampbellDirector: Peter WallachModel-maker: Mike SullivanAnimator: Peter SluszkaMTV On-Air Promotions:Director/producer: Antonio Tronic McDonaldWriter: Eric EckelmanLine producers: Kris Walter & Seyi Peter ThomasSound design: Ted Marcus

Cuppa Coffee

When J. Walter Thompson Toronto approached Cuppa Coffee Studios to develop a mixed media look for the launch of Ritzs new line of crackers Mini Ritz. In Scuba, they wanted the spot to stand out from the typical cel-animated Saturday morning cereal commercials. To achieve this, weve combined multiple mediums ranging from live-action actors, stop-motion puppets, 3D particle animation, digital post effects and embellishments, water displacement and watercolor illustrations to create a fantastic world that quite literally brings the product to life. The spot has a quirky surreal feel, turning our young heros breakfast table into an underwater world where he interacts with mini Ritz crackers shaped like ocean creatures. The whimsical choreography of the animation was inspired by the sing-along jingle composed by Steve Mackinnon of Rosnick MacKinnon, Toronto.

Overall, the spot is an excellent indication of Cuppas unique ability to combine classic mediums with contemporary tools and techniques, achieving a seamless blend of mediums and styles that complement rather than compete. As a culmination of all of the techniques that Cuppa has experimented with and mastered, this spot represents the best of what Cuppa has to offer -- traditional craft meets the tools and technology of tomorrow.

Credits for Mini Ritzs Scuba Cuppa Coffee: Creative director/director: Hector HerreraExec producer/producer: Lisa Hemeon Post-production & 3D supervisor: Al Piazza Stop-motion animator: Sylvie Trouve Production manager: France DaigleHead of art dept. & puppets: Zane KniselyDOP: Henry Sansom After Effects animator & special EFX: Matthew HemmingProduction designer: Dermot WalsheDesign assistant: Daniel RobinsonGraphic designer: Ignacio PeonProp & set designers: Ted Healey & Trevor MercerCharacter designer & storyboard artist: Kalle MalloyPuppet fabricator: Stephanie LeeProp fabricator: Darren StamosSculptor: Jeanette Billard & Julie Faulkner Makeup: Christine Rubiales J. Walter Thompson Toronto:Account director: Mark HansenAccount supervisor: Janice FooteAccount exec: Laura Seaton Vp, exec art director: Andy BrokenshireVp, associate creative director: Dean HoreProducer, head of broadcast production: Donna Heffernan

Duck Soup Studios a.k.a. DUCK

Because Duck Soup Studios, a.k.a. DUCK, represents a number of directors with such diverse animation styles and techniques, picking just one spot that exemplifies the studios best work is near impossible. The work that was picked illustrates one of the many styles of animation the studio produces.

I

n the KCRW spot, directed and animated by Erik Deutschman, the minute-long promo displays a series of vignettes, typifying radios breadth of influence to its listeners. What makes the animation unique is the way in which it was created. By using the motor setting on a still-frame camera and shooting the entire roll at once, the motion created is not quite as smooth as traditional 35mm filming, but at the same time, doesnt look animated either, says Deutschman. All the negatives were then scanned and animated on the computer. Once animated, the moving images were attached to the surface of a wall of 3D blocks that kept revolving, revealing each new scene. The promos innovative style points to the new direction that Duck Soup Studios, a.k.a. DUCK, has been taking in its animation.

Credits for KCRW Duck Soup Studios a.k.a. DUCK: Director: Erik DeutschmanExec producer: Mark MedernachCinematographer: Mark Skoner Computer animation: Jami Gigot Sound design: Noisy Neighbors Production designer: Paul Gyro Editor: Melissa TimmeKCRW:Client rep.: Gregg Lewis

Framestore CFC

Framestore CFC were delighted to get the brief for this series of spots for the U.K. Post Office, as it gave us a chance to demonstrate a number of things at which we like to think we excel, including speed, technical excellence, attention to detail and a sense of humor.

The commercials animation team had to work quickly, bringing the first two 30-second spots to the screen in less than eight weeks. Using an image based lighting system helped situate the ants beautifully into their shots.

In addition, five different and distinctive characters had to be created. Whilst the ants rigid exoskeletons make them relatively easier to animate, each had to be supplied with a (Maya) cloth wardrobe that was detailed down to the level of the stitching in the hems. Apt to be missed by many viewers, such detail matters to the Framestore CFC artists.

The playfulness of the spots meant that the animators could bring out a real sense of charm and wit in the digital ant family.

Credits for U.K. Post Offices Ice Cream Van/Ant in Australia Directors: Simon and JonPublicis:Producer: Sharon JoyceLove:Producer: Tania CameronFramestore CFC:VFX supervisor: Murray Butler3D supervisor: Dave Hulin3D animators: Andy Boyd, Laura Dias, Julian Hodgson, Kate Hood, Joe Leveson, Ulf Lundgren, Don Mahmood, Virgil Manning, Howard Sly, Simon Stoney & Chris SybornCompositors: Avtar Bains & Darran NicholsonTelecine artist: Steffan Perry

Guava

New York based Guava completed visual effects for Jack and the Beanstalk, the second in a three spot fairytale themed campaign for Quaker via element79partners. In a modern twist on the classic story, Jack forgoes the Golden Goose and Singing Harp in favor of the Giants huge box of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars. Visual effects artist Alex Catchpoole traveled to Toronto to perform onset supervision for the live action shoot. Guava greenscreened and composited the characters to create a completely live-action version of the Giants fantasy world.

Credits for Quakers Jack and the Beanstalk Guava:VFX artist: Alex CatchpooleProducer: Charles SelfVisual effects supervisor: Alex CatchpooleHornet, Inc.:Exec producer: Michael FederHungry Man:Live-action director: Russ LamoureuxExec producer: Dan DuffyDP: Joost Von Starrenburg Producer: Doug Conteelement79partners:Art director: Greg WellsCreative director: Susan Bertocchi SVP, exec producer: Colleen Dirsmith VP, copywriter: Canice NearyThe Whitehouse:Editor: Angelo Valencia Assistant editor: Mark Potter Company 3:Colorist: Victor MulhollandChicago Recording Company:Engineer: Mike CoyleSound designer: Mike CoyleCut Time Prods.:Composer: Cliff Colnot

HI-WIRE

Post-production company HI-WIRE and sound design/music and audio post company BWN recently contributed to a new spot for Taco Johns, which stars Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey. In the spot, The Burrito Incident, Whiplash helps save the day by delivering Taco Johns Mexican favorites to consumers everywhere. Here, a man is just about to enjoy his fresh and crunchy chicken and potato burrito when he walks into a mailbox, sending the burrito sailing through the air. Fortunately, Whiplash is here to help. Riding on his trusty steed a large dog he delivers a new burrito to the poor fellow who dropped his meal. Thanks, little monkey dude! exclaims the fellow.

We had greenscreen footage to do the effects bookends for the spot, but that monkey is such a professional that they got most of the stunts as practicals, notes Fire Artist Tony Mills. We went with the old-west theme for our graphics treatments using a flickering sepia vignette. It looked great with the monkeys head and hat protruding and overlapping its little reveal window. We also tracked the food footage in to the sky and created a hero blur pass to put the duo in certain scenes. The crowning touch was the end graphic: The production company puppeted the dog with the monkey on its back but we could only seize about 20 frames. Using motion estimation in inferno, we created four seconds from those 20 frames and got a beautifully smooth, slow motion shot with all the right touches; the dog is rearing up, legs pawing the air, the monkey head turning... perfect!

Credits for Taco Johns The Burrito Incident HI-WIRE:Colorist: Oscar Oboza Fire artist: Tony Mills Managing producer: Tammy Kimbler Weber Kerker/Minneapolis, MN:Creative director: Chris Preston Art director: Karl Madcharo Copywriter: Terry Thomas Producer: Anne Swarts Sugar Film Prods.:Director: Chris Smith DP: William Schwarz Exec producer: Tony Miglini BWN:Sound designer/mixer: Carl White Stickman Editorial:Editor: Jeff Stickles

Hornet Inc.

The Three Bears is a comedy-driven spot based on the classic fairy tale. The groundbreaking animation is part of Hornets three commercial campaign for Quaker via element79. Hornet's Steve Talkowski directed the spots and Peter de Seve created likeable bear characters with fun loving personalities.

The Three Bears represents the first time the company has done an animated spot on this scale. All the characters and props in the spot, including cereal bars, boxes and spoon and porridge, are computer generated. The spot is also a technical achievement based on Hornets utilization of new application Joe Alters Shave and a haircut fur plug-in for Maya.

Credits for Quakers The Three Bears Hornet:Animation director: Steve TalkowskiCharacter designer: Peter DeSeveExec producer: Michael FederProducer: Danielle AmaralModelers: Thomas Yip & Ken BrilliantAnimators: Steve Talkowski, Anderson Ko, Ferdinand Terado & Gerald DingFur R&D, shaders & tool development: Jimmy ChimLighting technical directors: Tamir Diab, Julio Soto & Kuan LinFinal compositing: Peter FinkRigging: Marco BurbanoOn-set vfx supervisor: Mark RussellHungry Man:Live-action director: Russ LamoureuxExec producer: Dan DuffyDP: Joost Von StarrenburgProducer: Doug Conteelement79:Creative director: Susan BertocchiArt director: Greg WellsSvp, exec producer: Colleen DirsmithVp, copywriter: Canice NearyThe Whitehouse:Editor: Angelo Valencia Assistant editor: Mark Potter Company 3:Colorist: Victor MulhollandGuava:Artist: Alex CatchpooleProducer: Charles SelfChicago Recording Company:Engineer: Mike CoyleSound designer: Mike CoyleCut Time Prods.:Composer: Cliff Colnot

ka-chew!

This spot, which features the famous Elves directed under the sure hand of expert classic animation director Sam Cornell, showcases Sams skill at blending classic character animation with CG. The storybook feel of the campaign is reminiscent of Disneys Pinocchio but is taken in a contemporary direction with the use of Maya. Ka-chew!s business is now practically 50/50 2D and 3D animation (in addition to substantial live-action and motion graphics divisions). Seamless combination of the various techniques available to the modern director is now the hallmark of most of ka-chew!s spot work.

Credits for Keebers E.L. Fudge Peanut Butter Double Stuffed ka-chew!:Director: Sam CornellProducer: Liz SeidmanLeo Burnett:Art director: Peter LomaireProducer: Sergio LopezWriter: TS Elliott

KromA

Britney Spears Toxic video includes CG and/or visual effects elements in virtually every frame. Many scenes include lightly detailed CG environments, some feature a CG stunt double for Britney. What made it especially challenging was our post-production schedule: less than three weeks. One of our favorite scenes has Britney riding through Paris one of our CG environments on a motorcycle driven by Tyson Beckford. at the end of the sequence, when the bike becomes airborne and twists in the air before depositing Spears on a bridge, 3D replacements were used of Spears, Beckford and the motorcycle. Bert Yukich, visual effects supervisor.

Credits for Britney Spears Toxic KromA:Visual effects supervisor & lead compositor: Bert YukichExec producer: Amy YukichHSI:Live-action director: Joseph Kahn

Kurtz and Friends

Kurtz and Friends was asked by Paul Keye and Partners to help create a new humorous spot on a serious subject: How to stop smoking slowly. We revised one of our previous animated characters that we created for the California Department of Health Services. Our character knows he should stop smoking but he just hasnt got around to it. The spot is about motivating the smoker in our audience into action. To call a hotline that will assist the smoker over a period of time. This message is important. We are losing too many people to tobacco related diseases. Last week Kurtz and Friends lost an important artist and friend to lung cancer, Robert Peluce.

Credits for the California Dept. of Health Services Quitting Takes Practice 2 Kurtz and Friends:Director: Bob KurtzProducer: Boo Kurtz-LopezPaul Keye & Partners:Creative director: Paul KeyeProducer: Beth Hagen

Method Studios

A frozen world melts under showers of digital rain in Rain, Method Studios :60 CG animated spot for AT&T via Young & Rubicam. Method Studios worked in close collaboration with Serial Dreamer director Erick Ifergan to create a digital rainstorm of ones and zeros.

Method created the binary rain effect, paying careful and meticulous attention to the real rain elements production provided as reference. A great deal of work went into achieving a realistic look for the interaction of the binary rain, including how it splashed on people and hit objects in the foreground. To achieve this, Method built CG models of all the people who interacted with the rain so that with each splash it would follow the contour of their facial features, etc. To give the world depth and remove a CG feel, subtle details were integrated into the spot, including rain shadows and streaming rain on windows.

Credits for AT&Ts Rain Method Studios:VFX director: Alex FrischVFX supervisor (lead): Chris StavesVFX artists: Cedric Nicolas, Alex K. & Joanna Cruz3D designer: Laurent Ledru3D artists: Gil Baron, David Sudd, James LeBloch & Hatem Ben AbdullahVfx junior artists: Brandon Sanders & Mandy SorensonApprentice artist: Katrina SalicrupVfx shoot supervision: Gil Baron & Michael GibsonSoftware developer: Andrew BellVisual effects exec producer: Neysa HorsburghVisual effects producer: Paul HahnYoung & Rubicam:Exec creative director: Ann HaydenCreative director: James OthmerArt director: Kleber MenezesProducer: Eric SolowayCopywriter: Corey RakowskiBelieve Media:Director: Erick IferganDP: Darius KhondjiExec producer: Luc Thorton & Gerard CantorProducer: Marc BernardoutChrome:Editor: Lance PereiraCO3:Colorist: Stefan SonnenfeldDef2Shoot:3D artists: Franck Malmin & Seb Caudron

Radium

Music Video opens on a red all-new Volvo S40 as it drives slowly through the dark streets. Motion graphics appear in the music video format (lower left corner, MTV-style) introducing the artists, song title and director. The driver turns up the volume to his surround sound system. Suddenly, beautiful women begin to plummet from the sky, one landing on the hood of the all-new Volvo S40. Huge diamonds begin to rain down with the women. One of the oversized gems falls onto the hood of the car, lifting it off its back tires momentarily. The passenger sticks his head out of the window and watches the diamond roll onto the street.

The new Volvo Music Video commercial demonstrates Radiums strength and diversity in both 2D and 3D arenas. The falling diamonds were created entirely in CG and the girls were shot jumping off of green cubes around the corner of the actual shoot location. They were then tracked and composited into the various scenes. Virtual camera tracking was used to add diamonds and falling girls to moving camera shots so they appeared integrated. The challenge was to make a spot with very high production value while staying within clients budget parameters.

Credits for Volvos Music Video Radium: Creative director/compositor/online editor: Jonathan KeetonCompositors: Andy McKenna & Ali LaventholCG artists: Melinda Tidwell & Tom BriggsExec producer: Matthew McManusProducer: Hillary WrightEuro RSCG:Creative director: Kevin RoddyArt director: Ernest LupinacciCopywriter: Ernest LupinacciCo-producers: Cathy Pitegoff (producer) & Mark Sitley (creative/head of broadcast production)@radical.media:Director: Dave MeyersDP: Tommy WildnerExec producers: Frank Scherma & Frank Stiefel Line producer: Joseph SassoneCosmo Street:Editor: Chris DavisProducer: Carolina WallaceBobine Video:Colorist: Jais LaMaireProducer: Julie AiraliLime:Mixer: Loren Silber Producer: Bruce HorowitzSound Designer: Ted Kaplan (freelance)

Red Rover

How often do you get to club a colleague in the head and call it work? For Intoxicors Braincell Depletion, we did just that.

Originally, the sequences in this spot were shot on video with a simple handicam. We dressed up our editor, Scott Bucsis, and our 3D director, Richard Rosenman in lab coats and rolled tape as they took turns beating each other over the head. We digitized the footage into Avid and Scott began using bits some with motion, and some freeze frames to create the quick, jumpy cuts. Andy Knight, Red Rovers animation director, used Scotts cut and (purposely) crudely Rotoscoped the live-action edit. Graphic designer Linzi Knight created the retro look of the spot by adding graphics, grain, jumps and pops. This spot, though very simple, is a great example of Red Rovers ability to use unique and varied techniques and media to achieve the desired look.

Credits for Itoxicors Braincell Depletion Radium: Animation director: Andy KnightLive action & graphics: Linzi KnightExec producer: Randi YaffaEditor: Scott BucsisCompositor: Brad HusbandLine producer: Christina HelmerProduction manager: Christian Stewart-HeadTalent: Richard Rosenman & Scott Bucsis

Ring of Fire

Since this spot was created entirely in CG, we used Maya to design a number of shots or crude animatics during the pre-visualization process, especially for building the CG gym environment. We then utilized the Henry to pull the elements together, create the edit and time the action to the music. The agency gave us a great opportunity to collaborate with them throughout the process to develop the initial idea into what you see on screen in the final. We were able to explore some fun areas it was nice to be given this kind of creative latitude. The most challenging aspect of this project was the short turnaround schedule, but we became very efficient very quickly! This spot really showcases how hands-on and collaborative we can be on all levels. Jerry Spivack, Ring of Fire Creative Director

Credits For Tropicanas CGI World Ring of Fire:Director/creative director: Jerry SpivackExec producer: John MyersProducer: Zenta KronitisEditor: Jerry SpivackHead of CG: Greg AndersonAnimators: Dann Tarmy, Neil Atkins, David Summers, Jason Thielen & Jake BergmanInferno artists: Todd Hemsley & Alicia AguileraHenry artists: Jerry Spivack & Brian ShneiderGraphics: Jeff Smith & Todd HemsleyElement 79 Partners:Cco: dennis RyanArt director: Mark InfusinoCopywriter: Kevin MulroyProducer: Kimberly GrearDirector of broadcast production: John NobleMachine Head:Sound designer: Stephen Dewey Producer: Vicki OrdeshookRavensWork:Mixers: Robert Feist & Chris CanningProducer: Katherine Morgan

R!OT Manhattan

NASCARs Timeless campaign covers more than 50 years of racing history by brining together todays best drivers with legendary heroes of the past. Images of cars and drivers from the 1940s through the present are composited together so that they all appear to be part of the same event. The imagery used in the spots was drawn primarily from NASCARs own archives. Source materials included 35mm film, videotape shot in the 1960s and 70s, as well as 16mm and Super 8mm film from earlier eras. The Martin Agency even got a hold of home movie footage that had never before been publicly aired. The agencys creative team, along with The Whitehouse Post editor Matthew Wood and R!OT Manhattans Tom McCullough and Randie Swanberg, combed through 150 hours of historical film dating from 1948 through 2000 to find elements that could be combined and used to tell the story. The edited research was about twenty hours of footage.

Final pot work at R!OT required the extensive work of inferno, Henry and After Effects artists. Swanberg and McCullough worked on over 150 effects shots applying subtle light and shading, creating specific film grains, adjusting colors, piecing cars together, tweaking perspectives and reworking timing to make materials gleaned from wildly different media appear to be part of the same scenes. Luis Ribeiro, exec producer R!OT Manhattan

Credits for NASCARs Timeless Early Race R!OT Manhattan:Lead visual effects artisit: Randie SwanbergVfx supervisor/artist: Tom McCulloughVfx artists: Julie Watkins, Matt Reilly & Jay TilinExec producer/producer: Luis RibeiroAfter Effects artists: Alison Shields, Luciano DiGeronimo & Robert LopuskiManaging director: Connie GriffinThe Martin Agency:Creative director/art director: Cliff SorahCopywriter: Joe LawsonExec producer: Steve HumbeProducers: Virginia Bertholet & Kelly WalshAssistant producer: Holly FlaisherOasis Films:Director/DP: Jeff SmithExec producer: Vaughan JusticeProducer: Megan CollierThe Whiethouse Post:Editor: Matthew WoodAssistant editor: Logan HefflefingerProducers: Corina Dennison & Gail ButlerRainmaker Studios:Sound designer: Jeff McManusArchival audio research: Bob Arno

Steele VFX

For this video by the British pop group Sugababes, director Matthew Rolston shot the performance material against green screen at Pinewood Studios in London. Our task, then, was to create a series of digital environments, including a six-sided glass room, and composite the performers into them. Although each environment appears to be 3D, we created them as 2D elements with a Quantel Henry. Animator Wayne England created groups of diamond-like 3D objects that tumble through the frame and form the name of each member of the group. Designer Sinbad used Adobe After Effects to place rainbow colored sparkles on the face of one of the singers.

Credits for Sugababes In the Middle Visual effects supervisor/Lead Henry artist: Jerry Steele,Animator: Wayne England Henry Artists: Monique Essing & Dave NeubergerDesigner: Sinbad

Zoic Studios

Award-winning Zoic Studios completed digital effects and 3D animation for the commercial launching NAMCOs intense new videogame Kill.Switch. For this unique project Zoic oversaw the production from start to finish.

Citing the inspiration of Black Hawk Down and Band of Brothers as well as other films that place the viewer in the heart of the action of war, the Zoic team utilized extensive motion-capture to recreate 20 seconds of battle. Additionally, motion sensors were attached to a hand-held prosumer camera, which followed the motion-capture actor as he made his way through the sequence. This footage, shot by Loni Peristere, was used to create a hand-held look for the animation, thereby increasing the sense of realism, action and suspense. NAMCO represents the whole idea behind visual evolution. Here Zoic integrated traditional production techniques in a digital environment including hand-held camera, facial animation accuracy, depth of field, blur, etc. This is a commercial that reflects Zoics goal to evolve the art and technique of moving images.

The spot was meticulously broken down by the Zoic team so that the specific aesthetic (mimicking the film bleach bypass technique), depth of field, highlight blooms, background and foreground action could come together in a documentary-style sequence that involves the central character moving through war-torn streets and fighting off bad guys in order to reach a get-away car. The entire animation production was completed in just under 12 weeks.

Creidts for NAMCOs Kill.Switch Ignited MindsZoic Studios:Producer: Carla AttanasioCreative directors: Andrew Orloff & Loni PeristereCG supervisor: Michael CaptonModeler: Sean MillsCG/textures: Jessica MaCG artists: Paul Anand, Mike Leone & Eric EblingAnimator: Jake BergmanEditor: Dmitri GueerStoryboard artist: Charles RatterayCompositor: Christine Golby

Rick DeMott is managing editor of Animation World Network. He recently contributed to a coffee table book on the history of animation for Flame Tree Publishing, which will be released later in 2004. Previously, he served as the production coordinator for sound production house BadaBing BadaBoom Productions and animation firm Perky Pickle Studios. Prior to that position, he served as associate editor of AWN.