Wumblers are multi-colored bulbous-shaped characters whose food falls from the sky, whose babies hatch in watermelon patches and whose stories blend inspiration, imagination and fun. The show’s aim is simple; to challenge children to think globally and embrace the idea that our differences can unite us.

Four episodes were submitted to the Telly Awards. Three won Bronze awards and the episode What To Do? took home the highest honor, a Silver Telly award. What To Do? focuses on three young Wumbler friends, Bertrum, his pal Gibby and a talking bilingual snail named Raimundo. When Gibby’s parents ask her and her friends to keep an eye on the watermelon patch while they go to the store, the unexpected arrival of a new baby Wumbler tests the friend’s ability to stay calm in a crisis and work together to make the best of the situation until Gibby’s parents return.

Laura Wellington, a mother and former preschool teacher, created The Wumblers. The series is partnered with The National Watermelon Association of the United States and currently airs on several channels through out the US and worldwide. In addition it airs in Spanish on the US Spanish language channel Sorpresa.

About the Telly Awards:
For 29 years, the Telly Awards has recognized the finest in creative work. Their winners include the most prestigious agencies, production companies, in-house creative departments and TV stations in the world. It is one of the largest and most prestigious award of its kind, receiving 13,000 entries annually from all 50 states and 30 countries around the world.

“The Wumblers is a truly unique show. It’s a fun, educational series whose overall purpose is to unite children around the world through humor and social responsibility. It’s inspiring to see it receive such recognition.”
Zviah Eldar – Rhino CEO

About Rhino:
Since its launch in 2000, Rhino has created award-winning visual effects, design, and animation for commercials, VFX for feature films, episodic television, webisodic mini-series, and videogame cinematics. The company’s principals and artists have also led the industry’s exploration into the boundless potential of branded digital content.

CREDITS
Title: The Wumblers
Created by Laura Wellington
Prod Company: Rhino/Gravity
EP/CD: Zviah Eldar

RELATED LINKS:
www.rhinofx.tv

“The main focus of these spots was to show that J-POWER creates energy and makes everything possible for daily life,” Banks explained. “One was an environmental spot, and the other was a global spot that speaks to the industries, businesses, infrastructures and everything that the company powers.”

Although the original approach called for the use stock footage, Banks and the agency’s creatives, including creative director and copywriter Isamu Nakamura, and art directors Takehiko Araki and Kenichi Horie, ultimately agreed on the greater benefits of capturing original live-action footage for the project. During one day of green screen shooting on a soundstage in Tokyo, Banks and director of photography Naoki Noda captured HD footage of actors and various animals using the ARRIFLEX D-21 camera package.

Artists at Stardust’s Santa Monica studio then used Maya to create the natural habitats, the turbine and many other elements for both spots, and Adobe After Effects was used for visual effects and compositing.

About Stardust Studios
Stardust is an award-winning creative production company, specializing in motion design, animation, visual effects and live-action production. Led by founder and executive creative director Jake Banks, Stardust’s Santa Monica and New York offices continually redefine creativity for commercial, on-air, music video and in-store presentations. Their recent work – including projects for the world’s top ad agencies, brands and recording artists – has earned numerous awards and worldwide editorial exposure. For more information, please visit www.stardust.tv.

Credits:
PROJECT NAME: J-POWER “Global” and “Environment”
RUNNING TIME: 2 x :30
DATE OF FIRST AIRING: April 15, 2009 (Japan only)
FILM STAGE/LOCATION(S): Japan

CLIENT: Electric Power Development Co., Ltd (”J-POWER”)
CITY/STATE: Tokyo, Japan

AD AGENCY: McCann Erickson Japan, Inc.
CITY/STATE: Tokyo, Japan
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/COPYWRITER: Isamu Nakamura
ART DIRECTORS: Takehiko Araki, Kenichi Horie

PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Kirameki, Inc. & Stardust Studios
CITY/STATE: Tokyo, Japan & Bicoastal, USA
DIRECTOR: Jake Banks
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Naoki Noda
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Sachiko Tamaru (Kirameki)

DESIGN/ANIMATION COMPANY: Stardust Studios
CITY/STATE: Bicoastal, USA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jake Banks
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Paul Abatemarco
DESIGN DIRECTOR: Neil Tsai
PRODUCERS: Jody MacKinnon, Clara Park, Steven Poulsen
DESIGNERS: Neil Tsai, Gretchen Nash, Tosh Kodama, Bill Bak, Ling Feng, Angela Ko, Jenny Ko, Juliet Park
ANIMATORS: Sang Lee, Angie Tien, Brian Broussard, George Longo, Damon Snyder, Ryan Hooks, Marisol Baltierra, Catherine Yoo, Giancarlo Rondani, Maithy Tran, Thomas Horne
2D ARTISTS: Brian Williams, Davina Sanchex, Stephen Edwards, Kristen Swanson

MUSIC ARTIST: Hifana
MUSIC PRODUCER: Masayo Okino

ADDITIONAL POST-PRODUCTION: Sony PCL
CITY/STATE: Tokyo, Japan
ONLINE EDITOR: Masashi Hosoda
MIXER: Tsutomu Higa

FINAL MIX COMPANY: Omnibus
CITY/STATE: Tokyo, Japan
MIXER: Norisato Nakauchi

RELATED LINKS:
www. kirameki.cc
www.stardust.tv
www.jpower.co.jp

This is the first time the series has won an award for visual effects since the opening episode was broadcast by the BBC in 1963. The Mill was recognized with the coveted award for ‘Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Broadcast Program or Commercial’ associated with the Doctor Who episode entitled ‘Silence in the Library’, during the 7th Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards show in Los Angeles on February 23, 2009.

The centerpiece of The Mill’s award-winning effects, a library the size of an entire planet, was created in CINEMA 4D, MAXON’s 3D modeling, rendering and animation program. This element of the project proved particularly challenging due to its immense size and scale coupled with tight television production deadlines.

To achieve the realism required, The Mill turned to the new Global Illumination (GI) render engine in CINEMA 4D; which made short work of rendering scenes that could contain up to six million polygons; and resulted in the creation of superior, flicker-free animation in a fraction of the usual time. The studio also created full 3D environments for the atmospheric shots.

According to The Mill’s Lead Matte Painter, Simon Wicker, CINEMA 4D and its Advanced Render 3 module played a vital role in the creation of the episode. “The results were amazing,” said Wicker. I could render a 175 frame camera animation at widescreen PAL resolution overnight on a Mac Pro without a trace of GI flicker. Without that, these shots would never have been completed on time. CINEMA 4D has always been bulletproof for my work.”

The complete story and images outlining The Mill’s extensive work on the award-winning Doctor Who episode, ‘Silence in the Library’, including details on CINEMA 4D’s Advanced Render 3 module and GI render engine, is available here.

RELATED LINKS
Interview with The Mill’s Lead Matte Painter, Simon Wicker.
www.the-mill.com
www.maxon.net

With a triple-punch combo of shows to develop creative for, NYC based boutique Broquard Studio needed to bring all of it’s expertise in 2D/3D design, animation and compositing to the project.

“The HBO Sports brand and the boxing packages in particular are the ultimate sports package to work on from a design and motion graphics perspective. It was important to deliver something that had an event-night feel. Incorporating rich finishes and slick glossed surfaces, while also maintaining the energy and vigor that comes from primetime fights was the focus.”
Jacques Broquard, Director of Broquard Studio.

About Broquard Studio:
Broquard Studio is a motion graphics, design, animation and visual effects boutique for entertainment and advertising. For information on Broquard Studio visit: www.broquardstudio.com.

About Digital Kitchen:
Digital Kitchen is a creative agency that focuses on film production, experiential design, motion graphics, brand identity, and interactive work for marketing and entertainment. For more information on Digital Kitchen visit: www.d-kitchen.com

For Patrick McDonough, founder/creative director of PMcD, the package needed to convey the essence of the show — characters from different backgrounds on separate journeys until fates collide and lives are changed forever. To capture the elements of tension and danger, McDonough and his creative team in collaboration with Brian Kintz and the Starz team shot images of glass shattering and metal twisting as well as time-lapse footage of the Los Angeles skyline using the super high-speed Phantom digital camera (1000 fps), The show’s logo is seen projected over myriad surfaces and layered throughout the footage and graphic elements.

”The idea was to graphically illustrate the uneasy and volatile quality of the relationships seen in the show,” McDonough said. ”The high-speed photography of breaking glass and crushing metal visually suggests the random destruction of lives. We also wanted to capture the character of Los Angeles and give it a sensual quality. The time-lapse photography captures a feeling of chaos and the randomness of life in general.”