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Coca Cola Happiness Factory Revisited
The original Coca Cola ‘Happiness Factory’ commercial is now several years old, but the tale of this animated world is still unfolding and continues to delight. The ‘Happiness Factory’ series is the genius collaboration from ad agency Wieden+Kennedy and creative studio Psyop that takes us to a magical world beyond the Coca-Cola vending machine. Coca Cola has recently launched ‘Happiness Factory 3’ which illustrates the uplift factor of Coca Cola and how it revitalizes both the drinker; and the lovable inhabitants of the Happiness Factory. This latest spot is part of an integrated campaign that includes radio promotions, online social networking; and an innovative partnership with Xbox. In addition the commercial features a track created by a supergroup comprised of Cee-lo, Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy, Brendon Urie from Panic at the Disco, Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes and r’n'b sensation Janelle Monae. ‘Happiness Factory 3’ follows on from the original ‘Happiness Factory‘ spot, ‘Happiness Factory II – The Movie’ and a behind the scenes ‘Mokumentary’. The ‘Happiness Factory’ stories from the Coca Cola, Wieden+Kennedy and Psyop collective, bring much gladness and a message of positivity to our presently troubled world. In this special CGNews feature article we revisit each of the animated shorts in the series. HAPPINESS FACTORY - ORIGINAL The original spot begins with live action footage of a man putting money into a Coke vending machine slot. The camera follows the coin as it rolls down a chute, down the side of a mountain and disappears into a waterfall. We are now in the magical animated world of the ‘Happiness Factory’. Large flying creatures with rotating blades carry an empty bottle to be filled by a tube suspended from the sky. Small fluffy creatures with large lips kiss the full bottle with great affection before the iconic red screw cap is catapulted and secured tightly into place. Next the bottle travels through a wintery landscape where it is cooled by snowmen and icicles and then dropped through a hole in the ice. Finally the bottle makes its way through a hero’s parade, serenaded by marching bands and fireworks before it is rolled out into the vending machine chute. ” Our visual premise was one of blending machinery and natural elements, within which we added all these exotic creatures performing their particular functions. From some initial ideas about a ‘factory,’ we moved on to this insanely epic fantasy landscape. We suspended all rules of objective reality and focused on getting this bottle delivered in the most ridiculously large and crazy way possible. We discovered that the spot was more about all the characters than the factory process, and that was the key to it’s success.” Kylie Matulick, Director, Psyop. HAPPINESS FACTORY MOKUMENTARY The award winning Coca-Cola commercial ‘Happiness Factory’ now opens its doors and takes you ‘behind the magical scenes’ with this clever and amusing e-documentary. Get to know all your favourite characters including the Luv Puppies, Chinoinks and The Majorette. Some of the voices are reported to be portrayed by actual Coca-Cola employees. “We party like it’s 2999 every time someone wants a Coke. Which is all the time. But I never get tired of watching the Poppers being shot like confetti over the parade . . . you know, the parade which carries the bottle to the customer. We never get to see them, of course. The customer. But the fact that the party never stops must mean they like The Coke Side of Life.” The Majorette. HAPPINESS FACTORY II – THE MOVIE ‘Happiness Factory - The Movie’ tells the tale of what happens when the Happiness Factory runs out of Coke. On 14 August 2007, this special animation feature was screened to a crowd of more than 100 glamorous avatars and media from 16 countries. The red-carpet premiere for this event took place in the Coke Cinema on Happiness Boulevard in the virtual world of Second Life.Click here to view stars, including international singing sensation Avril Lavigne, arriving at the event. HAPPINESS FACTORY 3 The most recent spot in the series begins with a weary student approaching a Coke vending machine, yawning as he places his coin in the money slot. The yawn is contagious and is passed on to the Happiness Factory workers beyond.Each of the magical characters catch the drowsiness in turn and the normally busy and upbeat world of the Happiness Factory slows down to a sleepy unproductive pace. Before they reach a full halt The Majorette pulls herself together, claps her hands and brings forth a thousand mechanical arms from the surrounding hillsides bearing chilled bottles of Coca-Cola. The inhabitants of the Happiness Factory drink the coke with relish and, re-invigorated and happy, head back to work. CREDITS FOR HAPPINESS FACTORY (ORIGINAL) Advertising Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Creative Directors: Al Moseley & John Norman Copywriter: Al Moseley (Rick Condors) Art Director: John Norman (Hunter Hindman) Account Team: Sylvain Lierre & Ryan Lietaer Producer: Sandy Reay Assistant Producer: Kimia Farshidzad Executive Creative Directors: Al Moseley & John Norman Agency Executive Producer: Tom Dunlap Agency Editor: Ken Rosenberg Production Company: Psyop, New York Directors: Todd Mueller & Kylie Matulick Executive Producers: Justin Booth-Clibborn, Boo Wong Producer: Mariya Shikher Art Director/TD: David Chontos Animation Director: Nicholas Weigel Storyboard Artist/Designer: Ben Chan Lighting/Rendering Lead: Saira Mathew FX Lead: Pete Hamilton Compositing Lead: Jason Conradt Live Action Prod company: Seven Senses, Madrid Director: Andreas Hoffman Executive Producer: Alvaro Weber Producer: Alvaro Weber Director of Photography: David Carretero Music: Human Sound Design: Amber Sound Designer: Bill Chesley Executive Producer: Kate Gibson Final Mix: Sound Lounge Mixer: Philip Loeb SOURCES Dexigner.com article - The Coke Side of Life: PSYOP’s New Mega Spot For Coke by Levent Ozler 16 July 2006 (view here) Veerle’s Blog - veerle.duoh.com blog by Veerle Pieters - 24 August 2007 (view here) Motionographer Interview Article (view here) Behind The Buzz article by Kori Ellis 16 March 2009 (view here) The Wall Street Journal - Coca-Cola to Uncap ‘Open Happiness’ Campaign 14 January 2009 (view here) Coca Cola Press Centre (view here) *details of the unique integrated ad campaign for Happiness Factory 3 to be found here RELATED LINKS www.coca-cola.com www.psyop.tv www.wk.com
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Click 3X Creates Animated Circus for ‘See You Sunday’ on MTV
Embarking on a new creative partnership, Click 3X recently collaborated with MTV to create a show open, packaging, and promos for See You Sunday. Promoting four new shows in their latest block of Sunday programming, the clips incorporate live action footage of high-profile stars with unique hand-drawn animation, explosions, and VFX. To support the shows, Click animated several promos, a :30 opening and cut-down, six bumpers with integrated animation, and two live action bumpers, each playing off traditional images of circus life with high-intensity, parodied versions of classic stunts. The vibrant animation interacting with the live action created by Click 3X adds depth to the storylines, while supporting the style and humor of the shows. Targeting the young male demographic with a weekly high energy, must-see event, See You Sunday includes Nitro Circus, a daring stunt show starring Travis Pastrana and Johnny Knoxville, Fantasy Factory, showcasing Rob Dyrdek’s wild skate-based schemes, College Humor, based on the wildly popular website, and How’s Your News, a product of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, which follows five reporters with mental and physical disabilities. The colorful animation helps to build the mood of each piece with outlandish antics such as animated knife-throwing, bananas brandishing chainsaws, and the carnival’s tall man upstaging all with his powerful rainbow pee-stream. The :60 promo, Anticipation, features the shows’ stars about to perform in a sideshow complete with human cannonball, tightrope skateboarding, daredevil motorcycle jumps, and face-offs with ferocious lions. The additional animated content created by Click 3X artists follow the same themes, showcasing the bizarre but enthralling, reality-suspending sideshow worlds of the carnival grounds with effects and characters that build on the intrigue surrounding the shows. “Harold, Evan, Thomas, Kris, and the rest of the MTV team were an absolute joy to work with on this project. I know this is a cliché, but this wasn’t work, this was fun. Tom, Erica, and I were in our creative comfort zone for this job creating seamless visual vfx, creative editorial and subversive, psychedelic graphics. In fact, many of the pieces were actually a result of some organic, on-set brainstorming between our teams.” Creative Director/VFX Artist Mark Szumski. The entire Click team worked extensively with the MTV staff and directors from pre-vis through post, coming up with creative solutions and providing effects expertise on-set and throughout the filming and editorial process. Creative Director/VFX Artist Mark Szumski and VFX Artist/Animator Tom Matheu each spent significant time on set, contributing their expertise. Shot with both Red and Phantom cameras in an enormous area complete with boxcars and a 30 foot ramp, the team was able to effectively capture the action-packed narrative and set the stage for Click’s animators to go to work. To enhance and heighten the strange, engaging effects on top of the live action, Click artists also added sky replacements, lighting and fire effects, explosion embellishments, and smoke to the range of shots, using Flame to cleanup and composite the layers of each piece and increase the impact of the shots and animated effects. The See You Sunday block debuted to excellent ratings, helping to secure the crucial target male audience for MTV. EP Connor Swegle notes, “MTV came to us with an amazing concept seeking a creative partner with the ability to collaborate on-set and through editorial, design, and animation. With our involvement so early in the process, we were able to add to the creative flow-this helped create a final product that was successful for the MTV team, the program block, and the network.” Given the success of this project, Click 3X has already signed on to three new ventures for MTV, further expanding a vast body of recent work which includes projects across broadcast, feature films, and interactive. “I was really impressed by the level of dedication that Click 3X showed in helping bring our twisted vision of psychedelic circus train mayhem to life. There was a great sense of collaboration throughout the project, and their enthusiasm and hard work was second to none.” MTV Design Director, Thomas Berger. About Click 3X: New York-based Click 3X produces cutting-edge visual solutions for commercials, feature films, television, music videos, and broadcast clients around the globe. Founded in 1993, Click 3X has become one of the preeminent providers of innovative media content, housed in an environment led by artists, yet supported by one of the most technologically advanced digital studios in the industry. With award-winning design, powerful visual effects, and a visionary animation team, Click 3X has worked on array of diverse highly-recognizable projects, including a series of films from academy-award winning directors like Jonathan Demme and Davis Guggenheim, a recent multimedia package for eight HD Time Warner spots, My Home 2.0, a five episode reality TV series for Verizon Fios, and a long line of recent commercials for major brands such as Sharp, Ford, and Goodyear. The Creds: Post/Effects: Click 3X Creative Director/VFX Artist: Mark Szumski VFX Artist/Animator: Tom Matheu Designer/Animator: Erica Gorochow Managing Director: Jason Mayo Executive Producer: Connor Swegle Producer: Christine DoRego http://www.mtv.com/ontv/see_you_sunday/ http://www.click3x.com/
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Superfad Collaborates With MTV On Indebted Campaign
Animation has the powerful ability to make the abstract instantly personal and relatable. To inspire a call to action via www.indebted.com, a joint project between mtvU and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Superfad has produced the second in a series of animated PSAs addressing the dangers of personal and government debt. Indebted is a campaign directed at college students that aims to raise awareness about excessive debt and promote action to help stop the fiscal crisis in the U.S. With Indebted 2, Superfad helps illustrate what young people might expect from the future, a bleak picture if we don’t help turn back the hands of the national debt clock. This spot is the follow up to an earlier Superfad animated piece that focused on the pitfalls of personal debt. “The main challenge we faced was walking the very fine line of making the spot desolate without being overwhelmingly depressing,” says Superfad Creative Director Adam Parry. “We worked remotely with Dax (MTV’s Director) from NY to our office in London. He is great with feedback and direction so it all ran very smoothly. We look forward to seeing where they take the campaign next but hope the need for additional spots diminishes as people heed the call to action.” CREDITS Client: mtvU & the Peter G. Peterson Foundation Concept: MTV Writer/Director: Dax Martinez-Vargas Senior Director: Sophia Cranshaw Animation Production: Superfad Executive Producer: Stuart Robinson Creative Director: Adam Parry
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Digital Domain Brings Inventive VFX to Lexus
A new ad campaign from Team One imagines how the innovative engineering of the new 2010 Lexus RX has reinvented the driving experience. Carl Erik Rinsch directed the :30 spots “City,” “Assembled” and “Intersection,” which feature fantastical visual metaphors brought to life by digital production studio Digital Domain. Visual Effects Supervisor Jonah Hall oversaw a 30-person team at Digital Domain. The company leveraged its extensive knowledge in creating photo-real digital cars, as well as its expertise in modeling and animating highly detailed mechanical imagery. The project also brought some longtime collaborators together again, including Rinsch and cinematographer Claudio Miranda. “We have a very close relationship with Carl and RSA, who in turn often brings Claudio on board as his DP, so we’ve all developed a sort of shorthand when we work together,” said Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Jonah Hall. “There’s a lot of trust on-set and conversely, they let us do our thing back at Digital Domain so we can come up with the best solutions for the creative and technical problems at hand.” “City”opens on the RX sitting in traffic. But the vehicle has a secret weapon—XM real-time traffic monitoring that reveals driving conditions on the road ahead. Suddenly, massive cranes descend from the sky, picking up the offending traffic and lifting buildings from their foundations so the driver can travel unimpeded to his final destination. During the live-action shoot, the RX was shot sitting in downtown Los Angeles, surrounded by about 10 cars. Digital Domain augmented the traffic by adding an additional 60 all-digital vehicles. The artists also did rig removal on three cars shot in-camera as they were being suspended by cranes, added the metal claws and dozens more CG cars also being lifted by the giant machinery. And because silver cars are notorious for acting as mirrors when captured on camera, Digital Domain replaced the RX with a digital version at the end, just before the vehicle arrives at an independent music store, also constructed entirely in CG. In “Assembled,”Digital Domain created a CG conveyer belt that transports automobile parts through a man’s house, neighborhood and office, before robotic arms systematically assemble these elements—which originate not from a factory, but from out in the world—into the RX. “This spot posed an interesting challenge, because so much of the story lies in the conveyer belt we had to digitally create and insert into the scene,” explained Hall. “When we showed Lexus the rough edit, they saw a series of empty rooms, the camera moving past an empty street and the in-camera RX at the end. We had to help them visualize the intricate choreography of the spot by doing a lot of animation tests and inserting them faster than usual. In the end, we were able to effectively communicate the agency’s vision to its client, and Lexus was very pleased with the results.” In “Intersection,” a man in an RX drives along a darkened road and just as he’s about to collide with an oncoming truck, time stops still, his car kicking up a swirl of tiny CG ficus leaves that suspend and sparkle in the air. Men and women dressed in black serve as the metaphor for the RX’s innovative features that help the driver to see better at night. The people silently approach the time-frozen RX and gently push the oncoming vehicle away before guiding the driver safely along his way. Miranda shot the near-collision using a Phantom camera—the tool-of-choice for capturing HD footage at high frame rates—and Digital Domain seamlessly integrated the high-speed photography with the regular-speed photography of the actors, meshing the shots together so that they appeared to exist in the same take. The production team behind the Lexus campaign has had a long history. Rinsch and Digital Domain recently collaborated on a commercial for LG, while Miranda and Digital Domain helped bring to the screen “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which earned an Oscar® nomination for Miranda and a Visual Effects Oscar® for Digital Domain. In addition, the Lexus production team included production designer Donald Graham Burt, also recognized with an Academy Award® for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” “The advertising industry is built on relationships and we’ve been fortunate to have developed many over the years that have led us to partnering across mediums,” explained Ed Ulbrich, Digital Domain’s President, Commercials Division and Executive VP of Production. “It’s been exciting to participate in the crossover of storytelling techniques honed in the commercials arena with our work in features, and vice-versa.” About Digital Domain Digital Domain is an Academy Award-winning digital production studio with a reputation for innovation and artistry. The studio has created visual effects for 65+ movies that have collectively generated more than $12 billion in worldwide box-office sales, including most recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for which it won the Academy Award for Visual Effects. A creative giant in advertising, Digital Domain works with a stellar group of A-list directors including David Fincher, Mark Romanek, Joseph Kosinski, Carl Erik Rinsch and more. Industry recognition for Digital Domain’s advertising work includes many Clio, AICP, and Cannes Lion awards and other industry honors. The company is continually pushing into new territory and is being recognized for its pioneering work in photo-real digital humans and productions that bring the worlds of movies, games, advertising and the web closer together. Digital Domain is privately held and based in Venice, California. www.digitaldomain.com PRODUCTION CREDITS: CLIENT: Lexus PRODUCT: 2010 Lexus RX AIR DATE for “Assembled”: 02/16/09 AIR DATE for “City”: 02/16/09 AIR DATE for “Intersection”: 02/16/09 ADVERTISING AGENCY: Team One / El Segundo, CA Chief Creative Officer: Chris Graves Group Creative Director: Jon Pearce Group Creative Director: Gavin Lester Executive Producer: Jennifer Weinberg Account Supervisor: Kristie Weston PRODUCTION COMPANY: RSA Films, Inc. / Los Angeles, CA Director: Carl Erik Rinsch Executive Producer: Marjie Abrahams Director or Photography: Claudio Miranda Line Producer: Annie Johnson 1st Assistant Director: Howell Caldwell Production Supervisor: Bryan Mitchell ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS: Digital Domain, Inc. / Venice, CA President of Commercials, Exec. Producer: Ed Ulbrich Executive Producer / Head of Production: Karen Anderson Visual Effects Supervisor: Jonah Hall CG Supervisor – “Assembled”: Ron Herbst CG Supervisor – “City”: Greg Teegarden VFX Producer: Chris Fieldhouse VFX Coordinator: Stephanie Escobar Previsualization: Simon Dunsdon Flame Artist: Jonny Hicks Flame Artist: Brian Boungiorno Flame Artist: Dave Stern Flame Artist: Chris DeCristo Flame Artist Assistant: Matt Bramante Nuke Compositor: Rafael Colon Nuke Compositor: Sven Dreesbach Nuke Compositor: Brian Smallwood Nuke Compositor: Michael Morehouse Digital Artist: Marc Perrera Digital Artist: Tim Nassauer Digital Artist: Jon Gourley Digital Artist: Chris Norpchen Digital Artist: Terry Naas Digital Artist: Justin Lloyd Digital Artist: Jeff Dierstein Digital Artist: Adrian Dimond Digital Artist: Ruel Smith Houdini Artist: James Atkinson Matte Paint: Wei Zheng Roto Artist: Marianne Magne Roto Artist: Mattaniah Yip Roto Artist: Tom Piedmont Roto Artist: Mike Boden Roto Artist: David Wu Roto Artist: Kanae Morton Roto Artist: Keith Weilmuenster On Set Tracker: Scott Edelstein Integration Tracker: Som Shankar Integration Tracker: Shelley Larocca Courte EDITORIAL HOUSE: The Whitehouse / Santa Monica, CA Editor: Rick Lawley Producer: Joni Wright MUSIC, SOUND DESIGN & AUDIO POST/MIX HOUSE Location: HUM
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Syndrome & New Balance Are Sweet On Candy
Los Angeles-based directing collective Syndrome has concocted an irresistible new batch of confectionary goodness in the latest :30 spot for New Balance via Ryan Partnership. Chosen to help launch the Candy Collection, New Balance’s colorfully cool new brand of footwear for tweens, Syndrome have taken inspiration from old school pinball machines, childhood board games and the tasty sweets we all remember as kids to deliver a surreal sugarcoated ride through an elaborate gumball machine. With their irresistible ice-bottom soles and mouthwatering colors, the New Balance Candy Collection has style for miles and is guaranteed to satisfy any tween girl’s fashion sweet tooth. About New Balance: New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance employs more than 4,000 people around the globe, and in 2007 reported worldwide sales of $1.63 billion. www.newbalance.com About Syndrome: LA-based design and directing collective Syndrome are united by a deep-seated, shared love for art and innovation where creativity is the core of their existence. Syndrome has been directing commercials, music videos, and instillations for nearly a decade, and have worked with some of the biggest artists in the industry including: P. Diddy, Kanye West, T-Pain, Erykah Badu, John Legend, 50-Cent, Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown to name a few. Syndrome has worked with heavyweights such as TBWA/Chiat/Day, Warner Bros, NBC and CBS directing campaigns and creating motion graphics for brands such as Converse featuring Mos Def, Bud Select, NASCAR on Fox and the main title sequence for the feature film ATL. They have been nominated for awards such as MTV VMA’s, UK Music Video Awards, and Music Choice VOD Awards. www.syndromestudio.com The Credits: Client: New Balance Spot Title: Candy Air Date: March 2009 Agency: Ryan Partnership AD: Sheryl Seigel Agency Producer: Ryan Conover Prod Company: Syndrome Director: Syndrome DP: Syndrome EP: Monica Blackburn Post/Effects: Syndrome EP: Monica Blackburn Editorial: Syndrome Sound Designer/Composer: Michael Genato
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AVSO & Offspring Introduce 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Following their exciting campaign introducing Ford’s new F-150 last fall, New York-based A Very Small Office (AVSO) in collaboration with design and animation studio Offspring has launched a series of three graphically exciting :30s introducing the new Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid. The We Speak Car campaign features vibrant landscapes, oversized typography, and bold voiceovers that highlight the features of the dynamic new vehicle that sets it apart from Ford’s established existing lines. Each of the efforts feature various live action Ford Fusion models bookended in colorful typographic quotation marks, then cascading through a graphical wonderland along a whitewashed backdrop, encountering, altering, and generating simple geometric forms, cities, and gas stations. The stark backdrop highlights the car’s superb styling and design; the onscreen images reinforce its superior technological features; and the car’s relentless drive through the shifting landscape spotlight its strong presence as it drives optimistically toward the future. “With so much bad news streaming from Detroit lately, we wanted to create a source of optimism, both for Ford and potential buyers,” noted AVSO Director Mikon van Gastel. “We think this car represents a major departure for Ford, representing a whole new way of building vehicles, and we wanted a forward thinking campaign that would surprise and inform people all at once.” Hybrid, focuses on the unique advantages that the Fusion offers as a Hybrid, such as its 41 miles-per-gallon average in the city. To reinforce the environmental benefits of such efficiency, the graphics surrounding the white backdrop continually morph into tangles of tree leaves and roots as the Fusion zooms effortlessly through cityscapes and wide-open terrain, sometimes streaking a trail of green behind it which were inspired by the innovative eco guide on the digital smart gauge instrument panel, unique to the Fusion Hybrid. I-4 highlights the Fusion as the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in North America, as the car whips past - and avoids - a collection of graphical gas stations. Van Gastel comments, “I-4 is about the duality of the car’s personality. Our hero silver car speaks to the model’s fuel efficiency which is impressive for a traditional engine, and the red car delves into the model’s performance power, which is unique for a 4-cylinder…you might not expect it to be fun to drive, but it is!” In Sync, three individual Ford models painted three different colors, all with distinctive features move from one to the next with seamless elegance. The spot showcases the vehicle’s voice-activated Sync system, through which a driver can place a phone call, activate the sound system, or request directions from a GPS without taking their hands off the wheel. A sequence of arrows and stylized words appear over, inside, and between the speaking Fusion cars to reinforce the power of spoken language to guide the vehicle’s operation. Rather than following the traditional vendor model, in which the studio works with the advertising agency from a distance, AVSO teamed up with JWT/Team Detroit to collaborate on the spots from concept to final execution, creating a true partnership. “One of the things that AVSO has prided itself on since inception - and we share this trait with our colleagues at Offspring - is our willingness to innovate not just in our product, but in our process as well,” stated AVSO Executive Producer Saffron Case. “This collaboration with JWT/Team Detroit is just one example of our team pulling together to do things differently without compromising the quality of the final product.” About AVSO: Co-Founder/CD/Director Mikon van Gastel and Co-Founder/Executive Producer Saffron Case opened A Very Small Office (AVSO) in the spring of 2005. Home to design based commercial directors, AVSO has the ability to design and deliver projects from concept to completion. AVSO offers expertise in graphic design, film, emerging media, integrated content, and architecture with an openness to embracing new forms of collaboration and emerging technologies. The Credits: Client: Ford Spot Title: “Sync”, “Hybrid”, “I-4″ Air Date: 3/3/09 Agency: JWT/Team Detroit ECD: Toby Barlow AD: Curtis Melville Copywriter: Steve Silver Agency Producer: Bob Rashid Prod Company: AVSO Director: Mikon van Gastel DP: Stefan von Borbely EP: Saffron Case Line Producer: Nina Huang Post-Production: Offspring CD: Mikon van Gastel Editor(s): Nathan Caswell & Cass Vanini EP: Joanna Fillie Producer: Suzanne Potashnick Telecine: Nice Shoes Colorist: Chris Ryan Inferno: Guava Artist(s): Aron Baxter, Rich Schreck, Jason Farber Audio Post: Sound Lounge Mixer: Rob Sayers Shoot Location: San Bernardino Airport
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Sony Ericsson & HUSH Create Integrated User Experience
New York-based content creation studio HUSH has once again teamed up with mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson for their recently announced, most advanced WalkmanTM phone, the W995. HUSH was at the center of every aspect of the project, from writing the concept and story, to establishing the visual tone, and executing the spot airing on every Walkman W995 phone. Additional mobile content like video ring tones, sounds, wallpaper graphics and screensavers were carefully interwoven by HUSH’s expert team of designers and developers to create a sense of cohesiveness within the overall branding campaign. “It is important to Sony Ericsson to deliver an energized user experience to the consumer with each phone and with W995 we have created a phone with a multitude of applications and features and our close cooperation with HUSH has created an integrated campaign,” says Johan Bornhager, Content Planner at Sony Ericsson. HUSH will roll out a vivid character-based spot to spearhead the campaign, which offers a twisted take on the break-dancing film genre. Animated characters from two “crews” engage in a dance-off that goes haywire. Irreverent. Humorous. Youthful. Music-driven. “The most important part of the campaign was to create an imaginative and unexpected thematic message that could be expressed in both the spot and the phone itself,” expressed HUSH Co-Founder/ Creative Director David Schwarz. “We have incredible creative talent on our team, and we produced an overall campaign that was distinctly cutting edge while honoring the legacy of the Sony Ericsson brand.” A final component of the W995 launch will be an online feature, which HUSH will be instrumental in executing and seeding in collaboration with Sony Ericsson. “This project was an incredible opportunity for us to showcase our exciting roster of talent in one integrated project,” said HUSH Executive Producer Casey Steele. “As we establish the studio as a one-stop go-to shop capable of handling complex, multifaceted branding campaigns, it’s important that we continue to work with respected brands such as Sony Ericsson.” About HUSH: HUSH is a New York-based content creation studio led by Co-Founders/Creative Directors Erik Karasyk, David Schwarz and Executive Producer Casey Steele. HUSH develops powerful brand-driven stories, award-winning design, animation, and interactive content for TV commercials, music videos, broadcast, and integrated campaigns. With over a decade of ideation and execution experience, HUSH pushes creative limits to build brand awareness and audience loyalty. The Creds: Design/Production Company: HUSH Creative Director(s): David Schwarz, Erik Karasyk Executive Producer: Casey Steele Art Director: Laura Alejo Design: Laura Alejo, Jerry Liu Producer: Mei-Ling Wong Production Assistant: Melissa Chow 3D Animation: Joey Parks, Scott Denton, Steve Talkowski 2D Animation: Salih Abdul-Karim, Jay Cohen Editor: Amilcar Gomes Sound Design / Score: Antfood Composers: Wilson Brown, Polly Hall Executive Producer: Sean McGovern Motion Capture Studio: Perspective Studios (NY)
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Superfad Directs Protege Launch For Kmart
KMART recently premiered a commercial that launches its exclusive arrangement with Protege, a brand new shoe brand created with NBA star Al Harrington. The spot was directed by Justin Leibow of Superfad for Agency Draftfcb and features Harrington presenting the philosophical ingredients that make up his new, high performance basketball line at an accessible price point. To view: www.superfad.com. Protege was designed so that basketball players of all ages and income levels can have high quality, top of the line shoes just like the pros wear. Retailing for $34.99, the shoes rival those at 3-4 times the price and are personally wore on-court by Harrington and other major players. To approach the commercial launch of this unique line for retailer Kmart, Superfad started with the premise that the shoes are an authentic expression of their origin. Accordingly, the spot combines live action sequences of Harrington both on court with him presenting photo-real animated elements that deftly coming together to create the Protege. The Protege begins as reflection of Harrington’s upbringing, drawing upon hundreds of details frame-by-frame, moment-by-moment, culminating in the shoe that can take your game wherever you want to go. “It was important that even in surreal moments everything feels authentic and organic to reflect the bold offerings of Protege via KMART,” says Superfad Director/Creative Director Justin Leibow. “Up until this point, this level of shoe was beyond the means of millions of kids who love basketball and just want to play. So it was inspiring to be involved with the agency on a brand that is based on a positive ideology.” Protege’s launch jumped from Al’s hand to the keen eye of the audience with movement, style and heart on February 15. CREDITS Agency: Draftfcb SVP, Group Executive Producer: Chris Bing SVP, Group Creative Director: Janet Barker-Evans VP Creative Director: Greg Akouris Senior Copywriter: Brian King Production Company: Superfad EP: Kevin Batten Producer: Danielle Hazan Director/ CD: Justin Leibow Designers: Justin Leibow, Adam Greene 3d Animator: Damon Snyder 3d Animator: Fatt Moley 3d Animator: Sunny Chan 3d Animator: Kimberly Im 3d Animator: Tim Katawaki 2D Animator: Claudia Leon 2D Animator: Justin Leibow 2D Animator: Sandy Chang Compositor: Shawn Berry, William Campbell Flame Artist: John Shirley Editorial: Cosmo Street Editor: Adrienne Gitz Producer: Shada Shariatzadeh Music and Sound Design: Human Mix and sound design: Eleven Sound Mixer: Jeff Payne RELATED LINKS www.superfad.com
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Superfad Help More People Go With Visa
Superfad recently contributed visual effects, design and editing to the ‘More People Go With Visa’ campaign, Visa’s first global advertising effort. The campaign celebrates that every day, people everywhere are on the go - whether satisfying basic needs or fulfilling lifelong dreams. When people are ready to go, Visa wants to them to go with a better way to pay - a way for them to go in control - confidently, securely and conveniently with Visa. In the United States, two national television spots - “Let’s go” and “Aquarium” - premiered on March 4 during “American Idol” on FOX. “Let’s go,” which will introduce the campaign, portrays an optimistic view of life that focuses on the possibilities of a new day - from stepping outside your comfort zone to challenging yourself to do things differently - and positions Visa as the brand to help consumers achieve their dreams and ambitions. Visa’s international markets will launch with a television commercial named “Gofesto.” The spot, which will be customized by each Visa region, takes viewers on a journey across the globe showing different people from different places enjoying what the world has to offer - from experiencing the great outdoors to taking simple trips to the supermarket. The spot reminds cardholders that life is not about collecting possessions, but more importantly, about collecting experiences. About Superfad Superfad is a brand-driven design and live action production company. A collective of designers, directors, animators, and artists, their mission is to see brands in unexpected ways and to express a brand’s voice in an undeniably original fashion. Superfad was founded in 2001 and has produced award-winning work for many of the most respected brands worldwide. Honda, Sony, Target, Adidas, and AT&T are just a few of the companies who have turned to Superfad for inspired branding. Credits Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day TBWA\Global Director Media Arts - Lee Clow Executive Creative Director - Rob Schwartz Creative Director - Patrick O’Neill Associate Creative Director - Gage Clegg Associate Creative Director - Becca Morton Associate Creative Director - Jason Busa Executive Agency Producer - Guia Iacomin Associate Producer - Chris Spencer Production Company: Paydirt Director - Iain Mackenzie Executive Producer - Jonathon Kerr VFX/Design/Edit Company: Superfad Executive Producer - Kevin Batten Creative Director - Justin Leibow Senior Art Director - Kevin Lau Head of Production - Angela De Oliveira Producer - Camille Labouchere Editor - Charles Jensen VFX Supervisor/Flame Artist - John Shirley Audio House: PLAY Sound Mixer - John Bolen Music and Sound Design: Stimmung Sound Designer - Gus Koven Song by New Order
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