Jan Carlee, a director with broad experience spanning animation and visual effects for feature films and commercials, has joined Wild Brains director roster. He will direct projects for commercials, television and film, as well as be an integral part of Wild Brains on-going development efforts in the feature film arena.
Rick DeMott interviews three agency creative directors to find out how they go about deciding when to use animation as well as what talent for a commercial spot.
Visual effects compositor John Scheer has joined Company 3 Los Angeles, which has stepped up its involvement in high-def TV commercials and VFX production for feature films. Prior to taking this staff position, Scheer freelanced under the name Scheer FX. His credits include spots for DirectTV (Deutsch, Los Angeles) and Miller Lite (Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago). Scheer was previously on staff at 525 Studios, where he worked on music videos for Destiny's Child, Elton John, Sisqó and Leann Rimes.
Back before belching frogs and washed-up jocks were used to sell beer, breweries turned to cartoon characters like Fred Flintone and Mr. Magoo as pitchmen for their products. So if Super Sunday can't quench your thirst for beer commercials, come to the Rendezvous for a brew or two and watch an evening of '50s and '60s-era animated TV commercials for the likes of Schlitz, Blitz, Jax and Blatz--and even Seattle's own Rainier. Presented by the International Animation Association chapters, ASIFA-Northwest and ASIFA-Atlanta. Ages 21 and up. Admission FREE for members of ASIFA-Northwest.
MTV alum's Nick Litwinko and Peter Reichert have formed Rogue Creative, a commercial production company with interests in creative content development and documentaries. Rogue maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle with a roster that includes many former MTV Animation creatives. Executive producer Nick Litwinko, based in New York, helped launch MTV Commercials in 1999, after almost a decade of work on various MTV series including BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD, AEON FLUX and CARTOON SUSHI.
Film Roman Commercials, a division of Film Roman, has added five new directors to their growing roster of talent.
PDI/DreamWorks has named Michael Garner and Laura Lockwood producers at the company's commercials division. Both have just finished their duties as production supervisors on PDI's 3D animated feature SHREK. Previously, Garner worked as production coordinator on PDI's first feature ANTZ. Prior to PDI, he worked at Digital Domain, where his credits include TITANIC, DANTE'S PEAK and THE FIFTH ELEMENT. "I've always gravitated towards the more technical, multi-tasking types of production," Garner said.
ASIFA San Francisco will be hosting a night of new animation and special effects. ILM's Victoria Livingston will show a company reel of features and commercials, plus her own personal film. PDI will present a reel of commercial work and personal projects by staff members. DotComix will show several of their Web shows and a short on how they do performance animation. Wild Brain will screen about 30 minutes of new material including pilots, Webisodes, TV commercials and more. The event is a free screening at the Exploratorium and the general public is invited.
A commercials company in Santa Monica, California is seeking a CHARACTERANIMATOR who can also model, light and texture to work on TV spots...
Toonz Animation India Pvt. Ltd., a new animation production studio, has purchased 11 licenses of Cambridge Animation Systems' Animo 2D software. All the systems run under Windows NT.
"We selected Animo because it satisfies all of our digital animation needs, whether for commercials, television series or feature films," says Bill Dennis, president and CEO of Toonz Animation.
The Association of Independent Commercial Producers' (AICP) Eighth AnnualAICP Show, The Art & Technique of the American Television Commercial,debuted at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City on June 9th, and willtour in the United States and internationally until April 2000. The showconsists of about fifty live-action and animated spots. Selections weremade by more than 400 judges throughout the US, as well as a panel composedof members of the industry from advertising agencies, production companies,
The London Effects & Animation Festival (LEAF) is part of Digital Media World, a creative technology event. LEAF, a leading European CGI event, will award the best work in the categories of Animated Commercials, Live Action Commercials, Short Film, Music Video, Feature Film, Student, Titles, Idents and Strings, Education and Simulation. The deadline for entries is September 17, 1999. For more information call 01244 393261; or visit www.digmedia.co.uk.
Jonathan Hodgson, Aleksandra Korejwo and Bill Plympton, all commercial and independent directors, relate how they feel about the contrasts between directing commercials and their own independent works.
Commercials Many years ago, when I was an undergraduate student, I volunteered to transcribe an oral history interview with Hans Richter, one of the pioneers of European avant garde cinema, whose career dated back to the 1920s. One of the comments that stuck with me all these years was about an offer he had to make an advertising film. As he considered himself first and foremost an artist, he refused. Later, after seeing the resulting film, he was so delighted that he changed his mind towards working on such films. Today, with the likes of Spike Lee making...
