Five Questions with… creative director Andy Reynolds, motion504

Tour graphics for Beyoncà©
Dish Network package for Mrs K.

2. What have you found is the best tool or innovation that has come out in
the last year?

For me personally it has been transitioning from Lightwave to Cinema4D 10.
For broadcast and motion design projects the ease of use, collaboration,
flexibility and integration with our compositing tools has been
extraordinary.
For motion504 in general I would say the release of Vue 6.
This release is a huge leap and has really allowed us to use its tools on
different jobs and new venues that were not practical before.

3. The project (film, television, commercial or music video) that most
impressed you in the last year? Why?

Children of Men. It was an incredible work in so many areas; cinematography,
effects, music, and editing. But none of those things encroached on the
central tenant, the storytelling. It was not until I left the theater that
any of those elements really invaded my consciousness. I was utterly
enthralled with the storytelling from beginning to end despite technical
brilliance in all the other areas.

4. The best or favorite project that you worked on in the past year? And
why?

The show open for Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. First and foremost
because of the collaboration between all of us on the team. All three of us
on the team (Scott Wenner, Amy Schmitt and myself) contributed our ideas
directly at every point in the process from concept to boards, to final
design and production. Without any one of us the project just would not
have been the same and that is always the most rewarding kind.

5. Name the top 4 artists on your iPod?

Bruno Coulais (Les Choristes Soundtrack)
Rinocerose (Schizophonia)
The Shins (Oh, Inverted World)
Cat Stevens (Greatest Hits)

Beating frog heart, anyone? Broadcast design and animation studio motion504 recently whet its design appetite on a compelling show open for “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” a new weekly program on the Travel Channel. Hosted by Chef Andrew Zimmern, the show follows this intrepid food personality as he embarks on a quest to find the world’s most bizarre, interesting and edible foods.

Commissioned by Tremendous! Entertainment, the :10 open captures the worldly feel and incredible delicacies of the show. With the breaking of day, an old-world globe representing a bowl drops from the sky and into a rich animated environment of water, 3D mountains and foliage. The bowl collects unusual foods along its journey including a flying fish and a tentacle that grabs a jumping cricket before transitioning into the title of the show.

For the design, the motion504 team of Andy Reynolds, Scott Wenner and Amy Schmitt used a combo of Asian-style etchings, hand-drawn animations, and 2D and 3D elements.

“The show open reflects our desire for a simplified, iconic look to our environments,” explains Reynolds. “We used traditional Asian water and cloud illustrations, which inspired the rest of the design. The foods are the stars of the show. For this reason, we assigned vibrant colors to the foods, and kept the travel environment lively and textural, but more monochromatic. The representations of the foods had to be generic enough, but also give a sense of their uniqueness.”

Reynolds says the hands-on collaboration with Tremendous! Entertainment was key to a smooth creative process.

“A lot of information had to be conveyed and executed within 10 seconds,” concludes Reynolds. “It was great to have this level of support and input from Tremendous! and the client. We’re all very happy with the end result.”

“Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” airs on Monday nights on Travel Channel.

Creditis

Production Company: Tremendous! Entertainment

Creative Direction, Design & Animation Company: motion504
Creative Directors/Designer: Andy Reynolds, Amy Schmitt & Scott Wenner

www.motion504.com