Charlex Shines a Light on COVERGIRL Sofia Vergara

Press Release from Charlex

New York-based Charlex and Grey, long-time collaborators for make-up and beauty work, have joined forces yet again to produce a gorgeous COVERGIRL spot starring actress Sofia Vergara of Modern Family fame. Sofia features beautiful CG and a unique overall look crafted by a Charlex team led by Producer Corey Budro and CD Will Kim.

"This was another great chance to collaborate with Grey and with COVERGIRL" noted Budro. "We have collaborated with Mark Fina and his team frequently, so we have developed a strong working relationship. Combining multiple components, from design to CG product to retouch, we knew this had the makings for a perfect beauty spot. Plus, we were thrilled for the chance to work with Sofia Vergara."

Sofia opens with Vergara, dressed in a chic white dress, walking through an elegant home as she shows off COVERGIRL's three new products - accompanied by smart title animation, an energetic soundtrack, and beautifully lit table top-style CG shots. Charlex worked with Union Editorial's Laura Milstein to pull it all together.

"Sofia Vergara is beautiful and very funny, with an absolutely amazing personality, and Grey wanted a spot that reflected that," stated Charlex CD, Will Kim. "The trick was to embed that humor - which is a bit of a departure from most of COVERGIRL's spots - into an exciting spot that was also graceful and really accentuated her beauty."

The product shots presented an especially compelling challenge, as Grey tasked Charlex with creating a tabletop setting, beautifully lit in a dark environment that would not seem misplaced among Sofia's bright and energetic footage, which included color enhancements to highlight the products.

"We had to bridge the gap between the stillness and gracefulness of the tabletop shots and Sofia's live-action shots," stated Kim. To help with the transitions, Charlex employed fast-forward, dynamic camera animation to provide a brief injection of energy just before each product shot. They also used quick cuts of two-to-three frames, very short cropped shots to give the products an artistic look and created a unique abstract framing device that evokes a glamorous magazine shoot. "These various devices added the dimension that this spot required to balance between the two very different looks."

Credits:

Client: COVERGIRLSpot Title: SofiaAir Date: December 2011

Agency: GreyCD: Mark FinaAD: Sandrine AmarProducer: Topher Lorette

CG & FX: CharlexCD: Will KimSenior Producer: Corey BudroDesigner: Jun LeeFlame Retouch: Alan Neidorf, Burtis Scott, Marc GoldfineFlame Design: Kyle DerlethLead Modeler: Alex CheparevAdditional Modeler: Hung MaLead Rigger: Steve MannAdditional Rigger: Andre StuppertLead Animator: Tony TabtongLead Lighter: James FisherAdditional Lighters: Frank Grecco, John Volny, Salar Saleh, Will AtkinExecutive Producer: Meredith MachialExecutive Creative Director: Alex Weil

Production Company: a WHITELABEL productDirector: Stephane Sednaoui

Edit House: Union EditorialEditor: Laura Milstein

About Charlex:Charlex is a full-service creative studio based in New York City. We specialize in visual effects, animation, design and live-action. We've thrown fancy mission statements out the window and simply embrace versatility. Our motto is design and build. We can take any seed of an idea and bring it to life.

Making great work is the product of forging great relationships. Our team prides itself on fast, efficient work at the highest level of excellence. Our reputation is founded on a commitment to creating compelling imagery, regardless of the assignment. We are experts at building a seamless experience from concept to completion, from client brief to end result.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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