Bookmark and Share

Top Spot of the Week: Landrover "One Life"

Post your comments below

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Director Tim Damon recently spent time in Dubai and Oman, UAE, shooting a Land Rover print campaign via agency Cogent/UK. Damon brought his HD video camera along for the ride. The shoot and the experience inspired a collaboration between Damon and editor Joel Marcus of Cutters... the result is a spec spot bringing Damon's footage together...

Credits
Brand: Land Rover
Spot Title: "One Life"

Agency (Print Campaign): Cogent, UK
Art Director: Gemini Mistry

Director/DP: Tim Damon (Damon Live Action, Inc.)

Production Company: Bare Face, Dubai, UAE
Prod Company Producer: David Kominek

Format: Rapid Fire Stills, Digital Stills and Live Action

Editorial: Cutters
Editor: Joel Marcus

Locations: Dubai and Oman, UAE

Week 9/23: Chevrolet Volt "Disappear"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Ad Agency - Campbell-Ewald
Creative Directors - Michael Stelmaszek and Robin Todd
Art Director - Bob Guisgand
Copywriter - Duffy Patten
Producer - Joe Knisely

Production Company - TWC
Director - Eric Saarinen
Managing Director - Mark Thomas
Executive Producer - Steve Ross
Producer - Craig Repass
Production Designer - Sean Hargreaves

Editorial - Beast
Editor - Igor Kovalik
Assistant Editor - Amanda Elliott
Executive Producer - Valerie Petrusson
Producer - Ashley Hydrick

VFX - Ntropic
Creative Directors - Nathan Robinson and Andrew Sinagra
Executive Producer - Dana Townsend
Producers - Kara Holmstrom and Esther Gonzalez
Lead Inferno Artist - Nathan Walker
Inferno Artists - Dominik Bauch, Maya Korenwasser-Bello, Matt Tremaglio, Jesse Boots
CG Supervisor - Peter Hamilton
CG Artists - Deb Santosa, James McCarthy, Dustin Zachary, Javier Bello, Thomas Briggs, Robert Hubbard
Compositors - Marie Denoga, Ed Anderson

Telecine - Company 3
Colorist - Mike Pethel

Music - Amber Music
Composer - Soviet Science
Executive Producer - Michelle Curran
Producer - Patrick Oliver

Week 9/16: Mercenaries 2 "Cash"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Advertising Agency: Draftfcb
City/State: San Francisco, CA
SVP Creative Director: Matt Reinhard
VP Associate Creative Director: Colin McRae
VP Associate Creative Director: Tony Vazques
SVP Account Director: Vicki Wagner
Senior Broadcast Producer: Dan Watson
Account Supervisor: Isaac Clemens
Senior Account Executive: Alexis Lovett
Business Affairs Manager: Linda Casson

Production Company: Shilo
City/State: Bicoastal, USA
Director: Shilo
Creative Director: Jose Gomez
Lead Design: Curtis Doss, Jose Gomez
Editor: Curtis Doss
2D Animators: Curtis Doss, Nate Davies, Eugene Gauran Ed Laag, Jon Lorenz
3D Designers: Tamir Sapir, Cody Smith, Blake Guest, Nate Davies
3D Modelers: Trentity DeWitt, Nate Davies, Cody Smith, Blake Guest, George Longo
3D Animators: Blake Guest, Trentity DeWitt, Nate Davies, George Longo
Character Animators: Kiel Figgins, Blake Guest, Jorma Auburn, Bren Wilson
Executive Producer: Santino Sladavic
Producer: Jake Hibler

Music Company: Wojahn Brothers
Composers: Scott Wojahn & Roger Wojahn
Producer: Dara Norris

Week 9/9: United Airlines "Sea Orchestra"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: Barrie D'Rozario Murphy

ECD(s): Bob Barrie, Stuart D'Rozario

Art Director: James Zucco
Copywriter: Phil Calvit

Producer(s): Holly Stone, Jack Steinmann



Prod Company: DUCK

Director: Ree Treweek & Jannes Hendrikz of SHY THE SUN

Producer: Nina Pfeiffer

EP: Mark Medernach

Compositor: Jannes Hendrikz

Illustrator: Ree Treweek

Illustration Assistant: Carmen Ziervogel

3D Animator(s): Claudio Pavan, Arri Reschke (Lung)

Storyboarding: Graeme Cowie



Music Arrangement: Trivers & Myers
Sound

Design/Mix: Ken Chastain, Pixel Farm

Week 8/18: Nike "Spider"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Ad Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo
Art Director: Chris Hutchinson
Copywriter: Driscoll Reid
Agency Producer: Jen Dennis

Production Company: Elastic
Director: Andrew Hall
Executive Producer: Alex Gorodetzki

VFX/CGI/Finishing Company: a52
VFX Supervisor: Andrew Hall
2D VFX Artist: Simon Scott
3D VFX Lead Artist: Max Ulichney
3D VFX Artist: Franz Vidal, Eli Guerron, Adam Newman
Executive Producer: Ron Cosentino
Producer: Jenny Bright

Sound Design: Stimmung
Sound Designer: Gus Koven

Week 07/28: Tag Body Spray "Ghostride"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Account Supervisor: Kat Karpati
Assistant Account Executive: Stephen Masterson
VP Creative Director: John Kearse
Assoc. Creative Director: Mary Rich
Copywriter: Pete Harvey
Sr. Art Director: Kristen Landgrebe
Agency Producer: William Near
Associate Broadcast Producer: Meredith Kelly

Production Company: Prettybird
Director: Paul Hunter
Executive Producer: Kerstin Emhoff
Producer: William Green

Editorial Company: Cosmos Street
Editor: Lawrence Young
Producer: Amy Febinger

VFX Company: Brickyard VFX
VFX Lead Artist: Geoff McAuliffe
VFX Executive Producer/Producer: Kirsten Andersen

Audio Mix/Engineering: Soundtrack Boston

Week 07/21: National Grid "Polar"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: Mullen (Wenham, MA)
Chief Creative Officer: Edward Boches
Executive Creative Director: Mark Wenneker
Group Creative Director/CW: Stephen Mietelski
Group Creative Director/AD: Michael Ancevic
Director of Broadcast Production: Liza Near
Agency Broadcast Producer: Erika Whitters
Agency Account Service: Drayton Martin; Julie Carney; Kelly Dickens


Production Company: HKM (Los Angeles)
Director: Jacobs Briere
Director of Photography: Stefan Czapsky
Executive Producer: Ned Brown
Producer: Line Postmyr
Location: Los Angeles


Stock Footage: BBC/Footage Bank/National Geographic/Thought Equity/Getty

Editorial Company: Final Cut (NYC/LA)
Editor: Stephen Berger
Assistant Editor: Georgia Dodson
Executive Producer: Kiayan Reuter
(NY Producer: Melati Pohan)


Postproduction Company: CO3 (Los Angeles)
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Online Editor: Brickyard (Dave Waller)


Visual Effects: D-Train (Los Angeles)
Compositor: Dan Connelly
Artist: Ben Gibbs
Producer: Shannon Preece


Audio Post: Nylon (NYC/Australia)
Mixer: Dave Robertson
Assistant Producer: Karena Cameron


Music Production: Nylon

Sound Design: Nylon

Week 7/7/: HP "Maestro"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
GCD(s): Keith Anderson, Steve Simpson
CD/Co-Chairman: Rich Silverstein
Creative Director(s): Rick Condos, Hunter Hindeman
Art Director: Andre Massis
Copywriter: Jordan Kramer
Executive Agency Producer: Cindy Fluitt
Agency Producer: Todd Porter

Production Company: Psyop, Los Angeles
Director(s): Todd Mueller, Kylie Matulick, Psyop
Director of Photography: Crille Forsberg
Lead Flame Artist(s): Jamie Scott, Aska Otake
Executive Producer(s): Angela Bowen, Neysa Horsburgh
Producer(s): Sara Mills, Blythe Dalton, Luisa Murray

Editor(s): Cass Vanini, Brett Goldberg, Brett Nicholetti

Music: Sejong Soloists
Sound Design: 740 Sound Design

Audio Post: Sound Lounge
Mixer: Philip Loeb

Week 06/30: Galp "AutoCarro"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Title: Galp
Product: ‘Autocarro’ (Bus)
Agency: BBDO Portugal
Agency Producer: Alexandra Francisco

Production Company: Ministério Dos Filmes
Director: José Pedro Sousa
Producer: Alberto M. Rodrigues

Post Facility: Rushes
Rushes Producer: Angela Lucantoni
Telecine: Simone Grattarola
Flame Artists: Richie White, Omar Akkari, Adam Watson, Richie White

Galp ‘Autocarro’ – Rushes Post Epic Journey For Portuguese Energy Provider
Press Release
Rushes completed post on this 90 second film for Portuguese energy provider Galp which features the Portuguese National football team as they travel across the landscape of Europe on their way to the finals of Euro 2008.

Rushes’ VFX Artists Richie White, Omar Akkari and Adam Watson describe working on the project …

Rushes has a good working relationship with Ministério Dos Filmes from working with them on a very successful commercial for Portuguese Bank 'BANIF' in which we composited a centaur in December of last year. Ministério Dos Filmes have always been a fantastic client to work for as they have a great understanding of what is needed on set to give the best results in post.

In the Galp 'Autocarro' commercial, Rushes worked on several crowd replication shots, some with scenic enhancements and general clean up. Before shooting began we discussed the specifics of how to film the different passes & plates of shots that would need work in post. Ministerio Dos Filmes came back with some fantastic footage with which to create the 90 and 30 second spots.

In one particular shot, hundreds of people appear to push a bus through a dramatic mountainous landscape. The bus is in the distance on a winding road as the continuous line of people snake through the landscape. We see the crowd all the way from the distance to very close to frame, giving the viewer a chance to see reaction and body language within the crowd. This shot was made up of 6 crowd plates and 4 background plates that built-up the landscape. In some of these plates we used green-screen to give us detailed mattes and help us to build a seamless composite. In other shots we changed lighting and skies to help the edit run more fluidly.

Rushes’ Colourist Simone Grattarola comments, “Although there was a language barrier, Ze Pedro and myself found common ground with music. We had the sounds of Elbow, Maps, the Cold War Kids, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan (who made it onto the soundtrack!) fuelling our session!”

The journey takes the Portuguese team to the Euro 2008 finals in Austria via Spain and France with the team bus being pushed by an ever increasing group of fans. Each country carried a slightly different feel. Simone used the Spirit and the Da Vinci 2K to help achieve a beautifully stylised vista of Europe.

Simone adds, “The original cut was a 60" and when Ze Pedro took it back to the clients they decided they wanted to extend the film to a 90"!

Week 06/23: Discovery "When We Left Earth"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Discovery Network
VP Brand Creative: Dan Bragg
Producer: Tyler Korba

Editorial/Post: Ultrabland
Editors: Andrew Malenda
Designer: Doug Filiak
Mix: Ted Marcus
Executive Producer: Heidi Bayer
Edit Assistant: Melissa Figueroa

Music: Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter

Week 6/16: PETA "Bathtub"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Client: PETA
Spot Title(s): Beat Down, Pusher, Bathtub

Agency: The Cricket Club
Copywriter: David Ekholm
Art Director: Roald van Wyk
Agency Producer: Terry Brogan

Production Company: Boy Genius/Japanese Monster
Director: Scott Corbett
Director of Photography: Jeff Venditti
Producer: Joe Pistorio

Editorial Company: Cake
Editor: Bob Mori

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Sean Coleman

Post Production: Post + Beam
Make-up Effects: Lee Romaire Studios
VFX: Craig Price

Sound Design: Brian Emrich, Larry Wineland

Music: Skeleton Suit

Audio Post: Ravenswork
Engineer: Scott Burns

Week 06/09: Sony "Tumble"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: 180LA, Los Angeles
Managing Partners: Peter Cline, Michael Allen
Executive CD: William Gelner
CD(s): Tyler Hampton, Gavin Milner
Art Director: Lindsey Aquino
Copywriter: Jordan Chouteau
Senior Producer: Colleen Wellman

Prod Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Andrew Douglas
EP: Andy Traines
EP/Head of Commercials: Dave Morrison
Head of Production: Sue Ellen Clair
Production Supervisor: Jennifer Barrons
Producer: Paul Ure

Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Adam Pertofsky
EP: Vicki Tripp

Post/Effects: The Mill
CG Supervisor: Jaime O.Hara
Producer: Gabrielle Gourrier

WeeK 06/02: Capitol One "Pushpins"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: BBDO Atlanta
Creative Director: Stephen McMennamy
Producer: Melanie Lambertson

Production Company: Tool Of North America Director: Tom Routson
Producer: Caroline Pham
VFX producer: Lesley Robson-Foster

Editorial: PS260, New York
Editor: Dustin Stephens
Producer: Mitch Stockwell

Design: Lift Motion Graphics, Chicago
Creative Director: Jason White
2D artists:> Sam Gierasimczuk and Kyle Shoup

Post/Finish: Filmworkers Club, Chicago
VFX director: Rob Churchill
Executive Producer: Mary O’Gara
Inferno artist: Rick Thompson
Flame artist: Jen Gajos
CGI artists: Charlie Peterson and Matt Daly
Editorial Assistant: Matt Green

Music: Tonefarmer, New York
Executive Producer: Christina Tortorelli

Week 05/26: Canon "Collage"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: Grey, NY
SVP/CD(s): Ari Halper, Stephen Krauss
Art Director: Doug Fallion
EVP/Dir of Content Dev: Nick Childs
VP/EP: James McPherson
AP: Madhuri Sharma

Prod Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Andrew Douglas
DP: Flor Collins
EP: Andy Traines
EP/Head of Commercials: Dave Morrison
Head of Production: Sue Ellen Clair
Producer: Aris McGarry
Production Supervisor: Maggie Lopez

Post/Effects: Asylum
Visual Effects Supervisor: Paul O' Shea
On Set Visual Effects Supervisor: Marc Varisco
Executive Producer: Michael Pardee
Producer: Mark Kurtz
Bidding Producer: Mike Hanley
Associate Producer: Ryan Meredith
Inferno Artist: Miles Essmiller
3D Tracking: Eddie Offerman
Matte Painting: Tim Clark
Texturing: Alexi Steinhauer
Rotoscoping: Junko Schugardt, Chris Cortese, Merlin Carroll

Editorial: Mad River
Editor: Michael Elliot
EP: Laura Relovsky

Music: Sacred Noise
Composer: Michael Montes
Music Producer: Jared Schlemovitz

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld

Week 05/19: PSA "Burma Viral"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

90-Second P.S.A. from MTV, Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam, Shilo and The Burma Arts Board Debuts Worldwide to Drive Aid and Awareness for Burma Crisis
Press Release
NEW YORK and DEL MAR, CA. - (May 15, 2008) - The filmmakers from creative production company Shilo (www.shilo.tv) recently collaborated with an extraordinary group of individuals and organizations to create a powerful animated :90 public service announcement (PSA). The piece, entitled "Burma Viral," uses footage of warplanes bombing Burma with flowers as a dramatic call-to-action, inviting viewers to visit a new Burma Arts Board website, noneofusarefree.org, where they can send messages of support to the people of Burma in honor of their continuing struggles against the notorious practices of their oppressive military government, learn more about the devastating effects caused by the recent cyclone, and find ways to contribute to relief efforts.

Uniting the talents of Shilo with those of Carl Le Blond, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam, John Jackson, Director of Social Responsibility, MTV Networks, Suki Dusanj, Founder of The Burma Arts Board, activist Sam Roddick and others, the provocative film debuted today on participating MTV networks worldwide, via countless video-sharing websites around the globe, and in New York's Times Square, where it will be screened throughout the day on MTV's 25-by-40 foot HD Jumbotron near 44th Street.

"As Cyclone Nargis tore across Burma, the world witnessed one of the worst natural disasters in history," said Suki Dusanj. "Since then, the world has watched the military Junta block aid from reaching those who need it so desperately. It is our hope that this Burma Viral will circulate around the world and into Burma, and bring about the changes necessary to make the aid and rescue efforts effective ˆ and to allow the Burmese people the freedom to enjoy the civil liberties they deserve."

"This spot somehow talks directly to the emotions we feel about the current humanitarian crisis in Burma," said John Jackson. "We know that people desperately need help and we also know it is not reaching them. The narrative conjures up a task force that brings a powerful message of support to the people of Burma, and an urgent appeal to donate to the international relief effort."

Continuing, Jackson explained, "As the hours and days pass, the need grows greater and so too will the aid that is required. A humanitarian disaster is slowly turning into a catastrophe. If at times like this we can use the particular skills we have to help, then the creative power of Shilo and Ogilvy have been brought together at full force to get funds to those that need it. MTV are proud to be part of this collaboration."

"Since long before this disaster occurred, the people of Burma have been oppressed: They have not been free to express themselves," began Shilo co-founder, creative director and director André Stringer. "Speaking on behalf of a group of individuals who make art everyday for our livelihoods, we place a tremendous value on personal expression. So when Carl contacted us, shared his script and asked if we wanted to direct it, we jumped at the chance. We immediately realized that this project could help to make a difference for a nation of more than 55 million people being denied the rights we take for granted ˆ and that it would be the most important piece of work we've ever created.

"After the cyclone hit," Stringer went on, "we realized we could make some slight changes to the film and the campaign site, and possibly have an even greater positive impact on the people of Burma at a time when their needs are even more desperate."

The project began as a dialogue between Le Blond and Jackson. Last year, Le Blond wrote a script, and since then, had been searching for the right production partner. "I had this script which, though I thought worked, would have been prohibitively expensive to execute, just because of the scale implications involved," said Le Blond. "Then as I started thinking of other ways to try to make it, I spotted a film by Shilo which just took my fancy. When I spoke with Shilo, there was an immediate understanding of what we were trying to do."

According to Tracy Chandler, Executive Producer for Shilo, things clicked quickly from there. "There was no pretense, there was no negotiation," she said. "Everybody was in and everybody was excited, and we all knew that the film had to touch people so that they'd want to share it with others and get involved in the cause."

Since the film's imagery would have been impractical to obtain via live-action cinematography, Shilo chose a very multi-media approach. The visual content was created by Shilo's artists using Autodesk Maya for 3D, QUBE for managing renders, Mental Ray for rendering, Adobe Photoshop for texturing, Adobe After Effects for compositing, and Final Cut Pro for editing. Reflecting a great amount of audio research, concepting and exploration by Shilo's team, the PSA's soundtrack was ultimately performed and mastered by the artists at Amsterdam-based Good Sounds.

"The crux of the film's story is based in juxtaposition and surprise: An ominous set-up gives way to hope. The flowers are the perfect icon for that," Stringer said. "My favorite shot involves a really close-up shot of a flower fluttering in front of the camera, where the camera has a lot of shake on it. Seeing that scene made me realize that the flowers had already become characters for us, like they were paratroopers falling on D-Day. Some look really lyrical, beautiful and fluid, and some of them dive with intensity. To me, it's really cool to be able to take something like a flower and let it become a paratrooper ˆ or a performer that can poetically deliver a powerful message, as these do."

Jose Gomez, who along with Stringer is co-founder, creative director and director for Shilo, shared his own perspective on this project. "An important goal for each of us, in every project we take on, is getting people to think," he said. "This project is the ultimate example of that. As directors, we generally regard ourselves as provocateurs, but in this case, we're actually activists, hoping that those who see this film will help us to make positive differences for the people of Burma."

"From the very beginning, everyone I met at Shilo was just automatically going above and beyond∑ and that to me is what filmmaking is all about," added Le Blond. "It's about complete collaboration, to actually make something better than just a script. As the details of the cyclone came to light, that same spirit allowed us to take the film a step further, to a point where it can potentially heighten relief efforts, while also raising awareness for the societal difficulties these people face every day, even under normal circumstances."

For Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam, Brenda Bentz van den Berg served as the project's agency producer. Shilo's project team also included executive producer (UK) Mark Hanrahan, Stringer's fellow lead artists Tamir Sapir and David Hill, matte painting artists Mathieu Reynault and Rodeo FX, Marco Giampaolo, Cassidy Gearhart and Noah Conopask, 3D animators Henning Koczy, Richard Cayton, Ohad Bracha, Bren Wilson, Eugen Sasu and Kiel Figgens, 3D artists Christina Ku, Richard Kim, Warren Heimall, Craig Kohlemeyer and Scott Denton, compositors David Hill, Tamir Sapir, Cassidy Gearhart, Noah Conopask and Stieg Retlin, miniature designer Willi Patton, editor Nathan Caswell, sound designer Dante Nou, producer Lindsay Bodanza, and coordinator Danielle Smith.

Week 05/12: Audi "Gymnasts"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: BBH London
Creative Director: Nick Kidney
Account Director: David Webster
CW: Toby Allen
Art Director: James Hilson
Producer: Olly Chapman
Assistant Producer: Matthew Towell

Production Company: Prettybird
Director: Paul Hunter
EP: Kerstin Emhoff
DP: Alex Barber

Editorial Company: Cut + Run
Editor: Andy McGraw

Post: The Mill
VFX Supervisor: Yourick Van Inpe
Colorist: Mick Vincent

Sound Design: Nick Rapaccioli and Neil Barnes (best known as Leftfield)

Audio Mix: Wave

Week 05/05: Chevy "Art"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Ad Agency: Campbell-Ewald
Creative Directors: Robin Todd and Michael Stelmaszek
Copywriter: Dan Birney
Art Director: Lew Baker
Producers: Mary Ellen Krawczyk and Linda Kemp

Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Joseph Kosinski
DP: Claudio Miranda
Executive Producer: Jeff Baron
Producer: Aris McGarry
Where Shot: Universal Studio/Los Angeles, CA

Editorial Company: Spotwelders
Editor: Robert Duffy

VFX Company: Digital Domain
VFX Supervisor: Vernon Wilbert
Digital FX Supervisor: Dave Stern
CG Supervisors: Doug Wilkinson and Aaron Powell
Digital Artists: Carlos Anguiano, Erin Clark, Nick Damico, John Lima, Justin Lloyd, John Niehuss, Anthony Ramirez, Jason Stellwag, Greg Tsadilas, Sven Dreesbach, Tim Nassauer
Tracking: Scott Edelstein and Montu Jariwala
Roto Artists: Hilery Johnson Copeland, Rob Liscombe, Karin Last
Nuke Compositors: Todd Sarsfeld, Jacqueline Cooper, Krista Benson
Flame Artists: Jonny Hicks, Christopher DeCristo, Kevin Ellis, Mark Devlin
Render Coordinators: Navit Singh Gill and Matthew Bramante
Previs: David Rosenbaum, Simon Dunsdon, and Carlos Pedroza

Music: "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups
Remix/Music Supervisor: Jason Bentley
Arrangement: Jeff Elmassian @ Endless Noise
Executive Producer: Dayna Turcotte @ Endless Noise
Producer: Mary Catherine Finney @ Endless Noise

Week 04/28: Snickers "Rugby"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Unexpected Uses Krakatoa on VFX-Intensive Ad Campaign for Snickers via BBDO Moscow
Press Release
Frantic Films Software, the software development arm of VFX studio Frantic Films (a division of Prime Focus Group), announced that its high-volume point-based particle renderer Krakatoa was used by German post facility Unexpected on a recent commercial campaign for Snickers Russia. The two-spot effort via ad agency BBDO Moscow and Spy Films, Toronto, combines feature film-quality VFX with live-action to tell a story of biomechanical creatures that use Snickers as their energy supply. The first spot "RUGBY," is currently airing throughout Russia, while a second spot, "TAG," breaks in fall 2008.

Founded in 1999 and currently boasting a 35-member team of directors, VFX artists and animators, Stuttgart, Germany-based post-production studio Unexpected is behind some of the most VFX-intensive commercial, TV and film projects in Europe. Unexpected's VFX team is led by Managing Director and Co-Founder Alexander Kiesl and Head of Visual Effects Steffen Hacker. Krakatoa was added to the company's Autodesk 3ds Max production pipeline in October 2007.

Krakatoa is Frantic Film Software's production-proven volumetric point renderer ideal for creating believable and finely detailed natural phenomena, like dust, smoke, silt, ocean surface foam, plasma and even solid objects. The latest Snickers campaign was the studio's first project using Krakatoa, which was employed to help boost several key CG shots.

Said Steffen Hacker, Head of Visual Effects, Unexpected, "Our studio's primary tools are Autodesk 3ds Max, Pixologic Zbrush, Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe After Effects CS3 running primarily on Dell Dimensions with Windows XP x64 running on 64bit CPUs. Krakatoa integrated effortlessly with our pipeline and renderfarm, and it proved to be a powerful addition to our VFX arsenal on this recent job."

In addition to heading up Unexpected's VFX department, Kiesl and Hacker are also award-winning commercial directors. Working under the moniker Alex & Steffen, the duo has been helming commercials for the likes of Microsoft Xbox, World Wildlife Fund, and the Finnish Ministry of Transport since 2005. Alex & Steffen are repped by Spy Films in Toronto, but bring all projects into Unexpected for visual effects and post.

This is the second Snicker campaign from Unexpected and Alex & Steffen. Their first was in 2006, with the spots "ROBOTS" and "RACE." That campaign was such a success, BBDO Moscow approached the company again to raise the bar even higher for the 2007-2008 effort.

In the Snickers "RUGBY" spot, hybrid robot-human creatures play rugby on an abandoned military plane boneyard. In the ad's climax, one of the creatures loses all its energy and disassembles into a huge cloud of dust and debris. "We didn't want to go for a seen-before morph and didn't want to use the mechanical explosion disassemble we used to animate the first two Snickers spots, so a more natural, organic transformation was needed," explains Hacker. "We experimented a lot with other plug-ins for 3ds Max, but none of them achieved the look we were going for. Then we discovered Frantic Films Software's Krakatoa."

The transformation and re-transformation shots in "RUGBY" were to include a huge amount of particles. Unexpected had originally planned to do all the particle animation using 3ds Max's particle system Particle Flow. However, the team discovered that its renderer-of-choice couldn't churn out the number of particles it wanted to integrate into the transformation shots. So after researching all the particle simulators available, Alex & Steffen decided to give Krakatoa a shot.

"The first test scenes that particle artist Emil Stefanov set up while we were shooting contained several hundred thousand particles and were extremely quick, and then our more sophisticated test scenes containing millions of particles outputted pretty efficiently as well," said Hacker. "It was then that Alex and I looked at each other and thought, 'hey, maybe this Krakatoa is actually going to do the job!' We found Krakatoa's saving-out feature of particles to PRT sequences a particularly brilliant tool. This allowed a calculation to be recycled for different passes such as for the diffuse layer, RGB layer for different PFlow events and, of course, for changing values afterward, like size of particles. Even though Krakatoa doesn't support Particle Age, color info could still be saved out within the PRTs to use as a mask for the compositing artist."

Krakatoa was mainly used for all transformation and re-transformation shots of the main characters. In addition, the tool was employed to create discreet and detailed particle animation, such as falling rust and dispersed dust from the moving characters. Krakatoa also gave the Snickers product shot added appeal by integrating several million particles to accentuate the Snickers bar's movement.

Krakatoa features that Unexpected particularly liked included how the toolset handled matte objects as selection sets, and the intuitive and clearly arranged renderer user interface. Frantic Films Software substituted the small checkboxes with checkbuttons that were hard-to-miss, and right-click options made the settings overview and troubleshooting easier. And because the UI is a MaxScript, it can be adjusted individually to suit the artist, who can add more functions or change the color of the background buttons to different shades at will. Even the learning curve was not as steep as anticipated-Unexpected's 3ds Max TD Jörg Häberle learned Krakatoa during the project in a very short period of time, and was fully working with its project files a few days later.

"Krakatoa performed under our very demanding commercial production schedule, and we've seen only a fraction of what the software can do. Without a doubt, we'll be using Krakatoa on future projects. I highly recommend this tool to anyone with a general knowledge of particle setups and a lot of creativity, because you can really help make magic with this useful tool," said Hacker.

Week 04/21: VW "Moving City"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: DDB Milan

Production Company: Parco Films
Director: Andrew Hardaway

Editorial: Boxer Films, LA
Editor: Pedram Torbati
Producer: Ben Guzman

Telecine: The Syndicate
Artist: Beau Leon

VFX House: The Embassy
VFX Producer: Charlie Bradbury

MSX: Human

Week 04/14: Alliance for Climate Protection "We Can't Wait"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Client: Alliance for Climate Protection
Spots Title: "We Can't Wait" Anthem

Agency: The Martin Agency
CD: Sean Riley
Art Director: Ty Harper
Copywriter: Raymond McKinney
Broadcast Producer: Brian Camp
AP: Katie Chirgotis

Prod Co: Stock Footage - Getty

Editorial/Post: Thoughtstream Media, VA
Editor: Scott Malkie

VFX: Superfad, NY

Music/Composer: Black Iris Music, VA

Audio Post/Sound Design: Rainmaker Studios, VA
Engineer: Jeff McManus
Mixer/Sound Designer: Mike O'Connor

Voiceover Talent: William H. Macy

Week 03/31: NiQuitin "Warning Panel"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: Arnold Advertising/NY

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Production Company: The Orphanage
VFX Supervisor: Corey Rosen
VP/Executive Producer: Paul Grimshaw
VFX Producer: Lawson Owen
CG Supervisor: Nathan Fariss

Editorial: Rough House

Week 03/24: Snapple "The Bubble Warp World"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: Cliff Freeman & Partners
CCD: Cliff Freeman
ECD(s): Arthur Biijur, Tom Christmann
CD: Lee Seidenberg
AD: Kristen Koop
Copywriter: Jeff St. Jean
Head of Production: Carin Zakes
Producer: Josh Morse

Prod Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Daniel Benmayor
EP: Cassie Hulen
EP/Head Of Commercials: Dave Morrison
Head of Production: Sue Ellen Clair
Producer: Richard Bermani

Post/VFX: Asylum
Visual Effects Supervisor: Paul O'Shea
Executive Producer: Michael Pardee
Bidding Producer: Michael Hanley
Producer: Darcie Muangman
On-Set VFX Producer: Jeff Werner
Production Coordinator: Diana Cheng
Inferno Artist(s)/Compositing: Paul O'Shea, Justin Blaustein, Joey Brattesani
Matte Painter(s)/ Texture: Tim Clark, Shannon Burkley, Dark Hoffman

Editorial: Cosmo Street
Editor: Tom Sherma
Producer: Karen Hennegan

Week 03/17: Lexus "Power of h"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: Team One, Los Angeles
ECD - Chris Graves
GCD(s) - Gavin Lester, Jon Pearce
EP - Jack Epsteen
AP - Erin Finch

Production Co - MJZ
Director - Dante Ariola
DP - Toby Irwin

Editorial - Rock Paper Scissors
Editor - Andrea MacArthur

VFX Co - A52
VFX Supervisor - Patrick Murphy

Music Co - HUM
Composer - Chris Brady

Week 3/10: Animal Planet "Personalities"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: Mono

Production Company: EyeballNYC
Limore Shur: Creative Director
Mike Sullo: Head of Production
Thomas Downs: Editor
David Pocull: Lead Designer/Animator
Ayato Fujii: Designer/Animator
Neil Stuber: Designer/Animator
Ghazia Jalal: Designer/Animator
Johan Wiberg: Animator
Erica Hirshfeld: Producer

Jill Greenberg: Photographer
Judith Gatesman: Producer
Gretchen Hilmers: Digital Retoucher
Wardrobe: Brian Primeaux
Groomer: Kim Verbeck
Special FX M/U: Lisa Ruckh
Male Talent: Traig Trimbo
Animal Handlers: Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center Denise Robertson
Beyond Bears
Mark Dumas

Benay¹s Bird & Animals
Lemur: Benay Karp

First Assistant: Jon ³Brooklin² Rosenstock 2nd Assistant: Steve McAghon
Assistant: Eric Macklin
Assistant: CJ DeWolf
Assistant: Chris Schultz
Intern: Ella Dowell
PA: Yasmin Brenan
Set Builder: Will Lidderdale
Digital Tech: Eric Vlasic

Week 03/03: Chevy "Baby"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: Campbell Ewald
Vice Chairman/CCO: Bill Ludwig
CD(s): Robin Todd and Michael Stelmaszek
ACD/AD: Bob Guisgand
ACD/Copywriter: Duffy Patten
SVP/EP(s): Mary Ellen Krawczyk, Linda Kemp

Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Joseph Kosinski
CD: David Fincher
DP: Claudio Miranda
Executive Producer: Jeff Baron
EP/Head of Commercials: Dave Morrison
Head of Production: Sue Ellen Clair
Producer: Aris McGarry
Production Supervisor: Jeff Shupe

Visual Effects: Digital Domain
VFX Supervisor(s): Vern Wilbert, Eric Barba
CG Supervisor: Doug Wilkinson
Producer: Michael Crapser

Editorial: Spotwelders
Editor: Robert Duffy
EP: David Glean
Producer: Steven Reiss

Week 02/25: Ford "Streets of New England"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: TeamDetroit-JWT
Art Director: Victor Rosinski
Copywriter: John Kmiecik
Producer: Kris Kulas

Prod Company: Arf
Director: Peter Corbett
DP: Tom Cox

Post/Effects: Click 3X
Lead CG Artist: Anthony Filipakis
Lead VFX Artist: John Budion
CG Animator(s): Marcelo Cermak, Susan Taffe, Tom Hurlburt, Jongmoon Woo, Sung Kim
EP: Jason Mayo
Producer: Jared Yeater

Editorial: Click 3X
Editor: Tom Matheu
EP: Jason Mayo
Producer: Jared Yeater

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Victor Mulholland

Sound Design: Gold Sound
Sound Designer: Brian Gold

Music: Gold Sound
Composer: Brian Gold/Brad Fairman

Week 02/18: Under Armor "The Gathering"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Client: Under Armour
Spot Title: The Gathering
Air Date: Super Bowl

Prod Company: Backyard
Director/DP: Ericson Core
EP: Peter Steinzeig
Producer: Karen Chen

Editorial: Beast LA/NY
Editor: Igor Kovalik
Assistant Editor(s): Jason Uson, Cudjo Collins
EP: Valerie Petrusson
Producer(s): Jaime Hagler, Julia Williams, Adrienne Tarain

Post/Effects: Asylum
VFX Supervisor: John Fragomeni
CG Supervisor: Sean Faden
EP: Michael Pardee
Bidding Producer: Michael Hanley
VFX Producer: Cassandra Khavari
CG Producer: Jeff Werner
VFX Production Coordinator: Diana Cheng
Inferno: James Allen, Rob Trent, Mark Renton
3D/Massive: Dan Warom, Marion Spates
3D/Lead Modeler: Greg Stuhl
3D/Animation: Kevin Culhane
3D/RND/Massive: Gunther Schatz
3D/Lead Lighting: Matthew Maude
3D/Lighting/Animation: Yurichiro Yamashita
3D/Lighting: Denis Gauthier
3D/Lighting TD: Brian Bell
3D/Modeling: Frank Taylor, Julian Sarmiento Tom Stanton, Scott Brust, Ana Sidenblad, Steve Rheinfrank
3D/Animating: Matt Hackett
3D/Tracking: Matt Fuller, Gary Laurie, Mike Lori, Eddie Offerman
Lead Matte Painting: Tim Clark
Matte Painting: Milica Djukic, Daveed Schwartz
Matte Painting/Texturing: Shahen Jordan
Texturing: Jennifer Jung Kim, Paul Fedor, Alexi Steinhauer, John Hart
Roto Supervisor: Elissa Bello
Lead Roto: James Lee
Roto: Edie Paul, Chris Cortese, Midori Otsubo, Stephanie Ide, Laura Murillo, Stephen Edwards, Merlin Carroll, Jason Bidwell, Dan Linger
Paint: Valy Lungoccia, Junko Schugardt, Huey Carrol

Sound Designer: Rob Sephton
Music: Machine Head

Week 02/11: Verison "Thoughtful"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Agency: McCann Erickson
Chief Creative Officer: Joyce King Thomas
Executive Creative Director: Steve Ohler
Group Creative Director; Brian McDermott
Creative Director, A.D: Mike Gambino
Creative Director, CW: Jeff Taylor
Director of Verizon Production: Michele Ferone
Senior Producer; Jeri Slater
Business Manager: Cece Critchley
Group Account Director: Kristin Rooney
Account Supervisor: Tara Humann
Account Executive: Brynn Sherman

Production Company: Supply & Demand
Director: Greg Popp

Post/Effects: Charlex, Inc.
Executive Creative Director: Alex Weil
CG Supervisor: Keith McCabe
Animation Director: Anthony Tabtong
Lighting Director: James Fisher
Lead Character TD: Stephen K. Mann
Modeling Supervisor: Alex Cheparev
Character Design: Todd Winter
Animator: Ferdinand Terado
Lead Lighter: Gong Myung Lee
Lighting TD: Cesar Kuriyama
Lighting TD/Texture Artist: Jeff Chavez
Lighting TD/Texture Artist: Will Atkin
Lighting TD/Texture Artist: John Cook
Lighting TD/Texture Artist: John Volny
Character TD: Andre Stuppert
Effects TD: Greg Ecker
Texture Artist: Jina Lee
Senior Flame Artist: Marc Goldfine
Flame Artist: Jesse Newman
Flame Artist: Mike Mendizabal
Designer: John O’Callaghan
2D Animator/Designer: Bowe King
VP/Executive Producer: Adam Isidore
Producer: Chris Volckmann

Editorial Company: Cosmo Street
Editor: Aaron Langley

Music House: Face the Music

Audio: Headroom

Telecine: The Mill

Week 20/04: CareerBuilder "Help You"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Ad Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
City/State: Portland, Or
Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Monica Taylor
Art Director: Eric Baldwin
Copywriters: Jason Bagley (“Self-Help Yourself”), Michael Illick (“Help You”)
Agency Producer: Jeff Selis

Production Company: The Directors Bureau
City/State: Los Angeles, Ca
Director: Mike Mills
Executive Producers: Cayce Cole, Melissa Culligan
Line Producer: Youree Henley
Director Of Photography: Carl Nilsson

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld

Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver
Editor: Angus Wall
Asst. Editor: David Brodie

Visual Effects Company: A52
Executive Producer: Linda Carlson
Producer: Megan Meloth
On-Set Vfx Supervisor, Vfx Supervisor: Patrick Murphy
Flame Artists: Patrick Murphy, Tim Bird

Music (“Self-Help Yourself”): Tonefarmer
Executive Producer: Tiffany Senft
Creative Director: Ray Loewy
Composer: Jared Hunter

Final Mix: Pop Sound

Weel 02/04: Mercedes "Snowmobile"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits
Agency: Merkley + Partners/NY
GCD/Copy(s): Chris Landi, Scott Zacaroli
Group CD/Art Director: David Fox
Agency Producer: Alex Kobak

Production Company: H.S.I./bicoastal
Director: Arni & Kinski
EP: Ellen Jacobsen
Producer: Amanda Clarke

Editorial: Cosmo Street/NY
Editor: Steve Bell
Producer: Karen Henegan
Telecine: Company 3/NY

Post/Effects: rhinofx/NY
CD: Vico Sharabani
Lead Inferno Artist: Julie Mai
Inferno Artist (s): Udi Edni, Dan Kelly
Digital Artist/TD: Bogdan Mihajlovic
TD/Lead Lighter: David Berfgoff
Digital Artist/Modeler: Chris Hill
Digital Artist/ Particles: Ivan Guerrero
Managing Director: Rick Wagonheim
Senior EP: Camille Geier
Producer: Linda Gallagher

Music: WickedMusic.com /NY
Producer: Daniel Freedman
Composer: Fer Isella

Week 01/21: VOOM "Kung Fu HD"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Credits:
Client: VOOM HD Networks
VP, Creative Director: Ben Rubin
Creative Director: Jason Bylan

Production/VFX/Design/Editorial Company: Superfad/Seattle, WA
Director / Creative Director: Dade Orgeron
Executive Producer: Rob Sanborn
Designers: David Viau, Luke Allen
Simulation Artist: Phiphat "P" Pinyosophon
Editor: Ryan Haug
Producer: Nate Barr

Original Music By: Matt Hutchinson

01/14/07: "Getting Off Cigarettes"

Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

CREDITS
Client: COI –Department of Health

Agency: Miles Calcraft Briginshaw & Duffy
Creative Directors: Malcolm Duffy & Paul Briginshaw
Agency Producer: Caroline Angell

Production Company: Pink
Producer: Karen Cunningham
Director: Michael Geoghegan
Production Mgr: Tim Francis

Edited by: Cut & Run

Post Production: Lola
2d Supervisor: Rob Harvey (Creative Director Lola)
3d Supervisor: Grahame Andrew (Managing Director)
Producer: Michelle Martin
3d –XSI: Grahame Andrew, Tim Zaccheo, Siobhan Fowler , Katrin Geilhausen, Rhys Williams , Gerald Chrome & Haarvard Ness
2D Flame: Rob Harvey
2DShake: Max Wright, Joe Cork, James Cattell & Kelly Lindsay

Week 01/07: Sonäka Vodka


Watch The VideoWatch The Video   Download Flash 9 Player

Technologies used: Autodesk Flame, Maya, Gen Arts Sapphire Sparks, Mac.


2007 selections for Top Spots



Comments (8) for "Top Spot of the Week: Landrover "One Life""
1.
for the snapple commercial, do you have any idea who did the song in it?
Posted by linsey on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 @ 04:25 PM
2.
Why is it that there is no information about the song and artist ANYWHERE on the internet? There are plenty of people wondering it seems... any info?
Posted by Carissa on Thursday, March 27, 2008 @ 09:55 PM
3.
I am a freelance agency producer working with both boutique and large sized agencies out of Montreal and Toronto. A collegue sent the link to me this morning....I can\'t believe I haven\'t been on it prior to today....

Cheers!
Nadine

Cheers!
Nadine
Posted by nadine gray on Friday, March 28, 2008 @ 09:31 AM
4.
Does anyone know the song thats played on the snapple antioxidant commercial ??? It's driving me insane!
Posted by ashley on Saturday, March 29, 2008 @ 12:06 AM
5.
I'm awesome and I like that snapple song. Therefore I must have it.
Posted by Paul Berti on Thursday, April 3, 2008 @ 10:31 PM
6.
I wana learn to make videos like this here, theyr awsome, recommend me some movie making programs? Im making and editing movies right now with windows movie maker :( ,but i wish to have some cooler program cause im really fan of making movies !
Posted by Janix on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 @ 04:31 AM
7.
Janix: If you want to make a movie like this I suggest you start saving up some money to buy a good camera, blue screens and several of software such as maya, cinema 4d, Adobe Suite CS3 with After Effects and maybe Autodesk, maybe a total cost of at least 1 million USD. A cheaper suggestion is to take a course or study to become a 3d animator, motion graphic designer or get a degree in media. Then you can make movies like these, or at least something similar :)
kind regards.
Andreas
current. in Japan on an internship @ w0w.
check us out @ www.w0w.co.jp
Posted by Andreas on Thursday, April 24, 2008 @ 06:26 AM
8.
Oh great it's not enough that stupid tourist killed Binky by trying to get close to him in his cage.Now another cute and fuzzy commercial about an animal that in reality is as a friendly as a tank.Loved it anyway, only the scene in the cross walk looked a little strange.Can I do that with pinnacle?Just kidding.
Posted by Graham Pearson on Monday, July 21, 2008 @ 05:47 PM

Bookmark and Share

Post a Comment

Name:
Email:
Comments:

Please enter the letters or numbers you see in the image.
Your message will be reviewed before it is posted

Subscribe to StudioDaily Podcast


        brand new  
  Studio/monthly magazine   store   rich media tutorials  
 
Studio/monthly magazine

Subscribe to Studio/monthly and catch up, anywhere you go, on top production and post trends, tutorials and product reviews. Click here to get it delivered to your doorstep.

   
video tutorials

All New Video Tutorials.. Avid, Final Cut- RED camera tutorials, Imagineer mogul, Trapcode Form, Apple Motion and many more tutorials on editing, VFX, animation.

 
           
    STUDIO DAILY © 2008 Access Intelligence LLC. All Rights Reserved.



Related Content