New York-based visual effects company Quiet Man and its design-savvy sister Grasshopper were recognized recently at the Film Preservation Honors event for their work on IMAGES, a :30 spot that debuted during the Golden Globes telecast in January 2005. Martin Scorsese is the Honorary Chair of the organization and presented at the event.
The design and animation for the spot came to life with Mindy Dubin of Grasshopper at the helm. IMAGES traces the evolution of pictures that have astounded us over time, compiling portraiture, early photography and high-speed photography.
In the spot we see a rough cave wall upon which a horse is slowly drawn. The painting stretches and raises one hoof as its crude lines fill with color. As the spot leaps forward in time, animated images from Edward Muybridge photographs, the Irwin-Rice kiss, a footprint on the moon, and a color image of the spiral galaxy lead to the words: "To the list of the most extraordinary images ever captured we humbly submit the beating human heart."
The spot includes an image of a rotating human heart, which represents the latest in image technology advancements with the aid of GE's Lightspeed VCT, a high-speed scanner that allows clinicians to capture images of entire organs with high resolution. Of particular note is the animation of the spot's renaissance Titian portrait scene, which evolves a nearly imperceptible eyebrow raise to a shrug and hand gesture at the end. This visually emotive piece closes with the spoken line, "GE Imagination at Work."
The Film Preservation Honors, organized by Anthology Film Archives, celebrates individuals and institutions that have contributed important works to preserve film and the understanding of film history.
Quiet Man (www.quietman.com) specializes in creating seamless visual effects, and has played a key role in creating some of advertising's most familiar visual techniques, metaphors and clichés. Their award-winning work on HBO's CHIMPS spot ushered in a rash of talking animal commercials.
Grasshopper (www.grasshopperny.com) is a New York-based company specializing in original design and visual effects. Combining stunning design with technical know how, the artists of Grasshopper seamlessly bring together animation and compositing to create design-driven visual effects.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
