Stash Media Inc. Editor: Stephen Price Managing editor: HEATHER GRIEVE Account manager: APRIL HARVEY Associate editor: ABBEY KERR New business director: PAULINE THOMPSON Proofing editor: MARILEE BOITSON Preview/montage editor: HEATHER GRIEVE Preview opening animation: TANTRUM Technical guidance: IAN HASKIN
Stay inspired every month. Every issue of Stash DVD magazine is packed with outstanding animation and VFX for design and advertising.
Subscribe today: WWW.STASHMEDIA.TV
ISSN 1712-5928
Subscrptions: www.stashmedia.tv. Submissions: www.stashmedia.tv/submit. Contact: Stash Media Inc. 35 McCaul Street, Suite 200, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1V7
Legal things: Stash Magazine and Stash DVD are published 12 times per year by Stash Media Inc. All rights reserved and contents copyright Stash Media Inc. No part of this booklet nor the Stash DVD may be copied without express written permission from the publisher.
Curated in New York, printed in Canada. Assembling the best of Stash is an arduous and painful task but also one of my favorite times of year.
From the beginning, Stash has been a labor of love for all of us, but sometimes, caught in the thicket of monthly production, it’s easy to lose a sense of just how singular and spectacular the results can be. Then December blows in and for the first time all year the BOS deadline demands 16 hours of content be carefully combed through then finally, impossibly, hewn to less than two.
The 36 pieces included here represent less than 2% of the animation and VFX projects considered for the 12 issues published in 2009. Needless to say, it’s an embarassment of riches we are happy to suffer.
The final choices for 2009 span a wide array of genres, techniques and budget ranges but all of them demonstrate just how diverse and vibrant the industry has remained during extremely treacherous times.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the BOS 2009 projects and many thanks to all our submitters for making this collection so damn difficult to curate.
Stephen Price Editor New York, Dec ‘09 [email protected] 1
Scrabble “Sumo”, “Hula”, “Yoga” TVCs :60 x 3 Client: For Ogilvy Paris Mattel Ex CD: Chris Garbutt AD: Antoaneta Metchanovna Agency: TV production: Laure Bayle, Ogilvy Paris Diane de Bretteville Director: For WIZZdesign Clement Dozier Producer: François Brun Irina Dakeva Artistic research: Production: Guillaume Combes WIZZdesign Artists/illustrators: Maud Dardeau, Animation: Matthieu Javelle, Foggy Notion- WIZZ Daniel Gotesson, Edik Katykhin www.wizz.fr Directors: Clement Dozier, Irina Dakeva Ogilvy leverages the Silver Lion they won at Cannes in 2007 for For WIZZ their Scrabble “Bravo les Mots” Post production director: campaign into this vibrant and Cédric Herbet, radical new pool of spots fed Compositing: Matthieu Caulet by the work of Maud Dardeau 2D: Sebastien Filinger, Matthieu and Matthieu Javelle – from the Wothke, Clement Soulmagnon, artist collective Jeanspezial – Gary Levesque, Corentin Rouge, who hand drew and painted Philippe Valette, Elliot Kadjan over fifty illustrations for each Music composers: Dana Edelman, of these clips. WIZZdesign set Mathieu Lafontaine, Jason Brando up a custom in-house atelier to Ciciola, Didier Tovels accommodate the volume, then Music editors: Mile23Music, turned the source material over to Cendrineige the directing team of Irina Dakeva Toolkit and Clement Dosier to bring the After Effects, Flash, Photoshop, illustrations to life. Images from Maya, 3ds Max the spots will also be used in print and online. 2
Durex “Get it On” Viral :30
Agency: that work just happened to Fitzgerald+CO involve hot animal love.” Schedule: three months. Director: Superfad Watch Behind the Scenes on the DVD. Production: Superfad For Fitzgerald+CO CCO: Eddie Snyder Animation: Chief broadcast officer: Superfad Christine Sigety www.superfad.com Associate CD: Jerry Williams Like most fun ads for Group CD: Fernando Lecca contraceptives, there will no doubt For Superfad, New York be much trouble afoot (and hence CD: Rob Rugan YouTube mega-numbers) with AD: Andrew Stubbs Johnston this naughty, squeaky, fabulous Director of animation/lighting: romp from Superfad NY through Mike Wharton Atlanta agency Fitzgerald+CO. CG animator: Dave Thomlison Superfad CD Rob Rugan: “Given Modeling: Domel Libid the content of this project, it led Compositor: Adrian Winter to quite a few surreal discussions Producer: Mike Tockman during the process. At one point EP: Geraint Owen or another, every conference call started to veer dangerously close Audio: Gramercy Post to locker-room territory, mixed with Sr sound: Joe Mendelson quite serious debates about which Toolkit sexual positions to include or not. XSI, After Effects At the same time, the needs and challenges of the job were as great as any other, and at a certain point, you stop thinking about the content and just make the greatest piece of work you can. In this case, 3
Duracell “Bunny Fusion” TVC :30
Agency: Ogilvy, Paris Director: Pleix was a real nightmare to fine tune Production: and manage. We used Real Flow Chuck & Lulu to create the waterfall, swirl and Animation: some extra bunnies hanging onto Digital District the giant sumo. The lighting is very www.digitaldistrict.fr simple, a diffused skylight and dimmed sunlight to create some French directing collective Pleix subtle shadows, and some CG fur and Paris VFX studio Digital on the closest bunnies. District conjure a maelstrom of particle-controlled cuteness for “The most difficult creative Duracell. challenge was to make something not too busy visually, fast but not Pleix: “The agency came up with a too fast, and to stay readable.” first storyboard. We helped them on the creative side by making an For Ogilvy, Paris animatic to convince the client to Ex CD: Chris Garbutt make this film. The animatic tested CD: Nick Hine better than any previous one done AD: Antoaneta Metchanova for Duracell, and the new look of Producer: Caroline Petruccelli the CG bunnies excited everybody. For Chuck & Lulu “The sumo, elephant and train Director: Pleix are power symbols requested EP: Edward Grann by the agency since they were Line producer: Katharina Nicol already working with them on Post producer: Sebastien Gros print projects. Thinking Particles Music: Apollo Studios, Montreal was used to control the behavior Toolkit of thousands of bunnies going 3ds Max, Thinking Particles, from one entity to another and it V-Ray, Real Flow 4
Pepsi International “Flight of the Penguin” TVC :60 Agency: movement we realized just how BBDO New York goofy they actually are. It was a fun challenge to capture that quality Director: and keep it realistic at the same Traktor time - especially with the addition Production: of a jet-pack.” Traktor, Venice CA For BBDO New York Animation/VFX: CCOs: David Lubars, Bill Bruce Framestore, NY Copy: Brian Donovan www.framestore.com AD: Mike Boulia Framestore NY puts their wealth EP: Regina Ebel of fur and feather creation tools Asst producer: Regina Iannuzzi (developed for The Golden Ex music producer: Loren Parkins Compass and The Chronicles of For Traktor Narnia: Prince Caspian) to work Director: Traktor bringing a penguin named Gunnar to life for Pepsi. For Framestore Flame lead: Murray Butler Framestore producer Jennifer Sr Flame: Ben Cronin Dewey: “The performance of the VFX supers: Murray Butler, penguin was a big challenge for Andy Walker our animators – it was crucial that CG leads: Andy Walker, Gunnar’s actions didn’t feel too Seth Gollub human or intentional. Creating the VFX Sr producer: Jenn Dewey interaction between the penguin VFX HOP: Laney Gradus and the snow was also critical. We shot pieces of snow moving Toolkit in camera but because we didn’t Maya, Houdini, Flame, Nuke, know his exact actions we also Shake, proprietary Framestore added CGI snow around his feet.” software Lead animator Seth Gollub: “When Watch Behind the Scenes on we started studying penguin the DVD 5
Coca-Cola “Heist” TVC :60
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Director: Psyop Animation/VFX: Psyop www.psyop.tv The West Coast Psyop crew march out a fine cast of insects and run them through a complicated 4th and goal maneuver for this Coke ad during Super Bowl 43. For Wieden + Kennedy, Portland CDs: Hal Curtis, Sheena Brady ADs: James Moslander, Lee VFX super/CG lead: Andrew Flame: Alex Kolasinski, Sarah Eim For Stimmung Jennings Romatz Compositors: Jared Sandrew, Arranger: Robert Miller Copy: Marc D’Avignon VFX super/lead flame: Thibault Michael Dobbs, Miguel Bautista Sr Song: Peter and the Wolf Sr Producer: Matt Hunnicutt Debaveye lighter: Kyle Cassidy Music EP: Kelly Fuller Associate producer: Juliana 2D desktop supervisor: Lane Jolly Lighter/look development: Sound design: Gus Koven Montgomery Animation lead: John Velazquez Katie Yoon, Wendy Klein For Lime Lighting lead/look development Lighters: Ian Ruhfass, Psyop Mixer: Loren Silbur TD: Mike Dalzell Barry Kriegshauser CDs: Todd Mueller, Kylie Matulick Assistant mixer: Lindsey Alvarez Pre-Visualization: Mike Makara , Modelers: Clay Osmus, Andy Kim EP: Neysa Horsburgh Mix producer: Jessica Locke Todd Constantine, Sarah Bocket, Modeling/generalist: Bryan Repka Producer: Michael Schlenker John Cherniack, Jan Bitzer Rigger/generalist: Petrik Watson Toolkit VFX producer: Tina Chiang Sr animator: Yvain Gnabro Riggers: Sean Comer, James Maya, XSI, Combustion, Nuke, Post-production coordinator: Animators: Alejandro Castro, Parks, David Bosker Flame, Photoshop, Z-brush, After Thomas Knight Joon Lee, Frantz Vidal, Maxime Roto/paint: Krystal Chinn, Effects, Final Cut Pro, PTGui Pro Editor: Brett Nicoletti Devanlay, Zee Myers Austin Brown, Scott Baxter Storyboard: Josh Wiesenfeld FX: Jan Bitzer, Kiel Gnebba, 6
Knorr “Salty” define it. The clear-coat ceramic TVC :60 finish of Salty’s surface means 99 percent of a realistic look has to come purely from illumination and Agency: an accurate representation of how DDB Canada such a material reflects it.” Director: For DDB Canada David Hicks CD: Andrew Simon Production: AD: Paul Wallace, Shelley Lewis Sons and Daughters Copy: David Ross Producer: Andrew Schulze Animation/VFX: Director: David Hicks AXYZ, Toronto www.axyzfx.com For Sons and Daughters John Coldrick, head of the CG EP: Dan Ford department at AXYZ in Toronto: Line producer: Rob Allan “DDB Canada didn’t want DOP: Adam Marsden cartoons. The animation was to be For AXYZ kept minimal, enough to convey Producer: Irene Payne the emotion but not get into wacky On set SFX super: Dave Giles ‘antics’. As far as look, photo- Lead animator/shading/lighting: realism was the buzzword.” Dennis Turner AXYZ optimized their use of Shading/lighting: Mario Marengo shaders to take advantage of the Tracking/shading/lighting: new Physically Based Rendering Jerry Corda-Stanley engine in Mantra to get the Inferno: Andres Kirejew, desired look. Coldrick: “The fact Terry Power the shaker is such a structurally Toolkit simple object and so well lit and Houdini prominent in the spot, actually makes this task harder than when For Panic and Bob working with visually complex Editor: Brian Williams objects with many materials. For Notch There’s no moody, theatrical Colorist: Bill Ferwerda, lighting to hide behind, no textures or other variations in color to help Music house: RMW, Toronto 7
Coldplay “Strawberry Swing” Music video 4:10
Record label: EMI Director: Shynola Production: RSA Films LA Animation/VFX: Shynola The Moving Picture Company www.shynola.com www.moving-picture.com The relatively new stop-motion- Svana Gisla, head of music video For EMI For Endeavor people-on-the-floor-shot-from- At RSA Films says the project Video commissioner: Agents: Charlotte Hennington, above genre gets a kick in the butt was indebted to the patience and Kirstin Kruickshank Margaret Maldonado from legendary London directors physical stamina of Coldplay’s CD: Phil Harvey For The Moving Picture Shynola and their impossibly Martin. “Chris had to be incredibly For The Directors Bureau Company detailed and painstaking video physically fit to stand and hold EP: Lana Kim Producer: Chris Allen starring Coldplay frontman Chris his position for hours; luckily he is Flame: Tom Harding Martin. bloody ripped.” For RSA Films LA Data producer: Chris Vincze Head of music video: Svana Gisla The epic three-month production This project marked Shynola’s Producer: Margo Mars Toolkit was planned out with the help of return to music video direction, but Flame a computer-assisted pre-vis and sadly, short one founding member. For Shynola shot with a Phantom camera. Gideon Baws, who passed away Directors: Jason Groves, Shynola members Jason Groves, in 2008, had been part of the four- Chris Harding, Kenny Chris Harding and Richard person team since art school. Line producer: Jonathan Lia “Kenny” Kenworthy handled all PM: Soundis Azaiz the background chalk animation DOP: Aaron Platt and editing with the online done at Production designer: Evan Rhodes MPC in London. Costume designer: Robert Behar 8
The Crystal Method feat. Matisyahu “Drown in the Now” Music video 3:35 Label: Tiny E Records Directors: Alexandre Moors, Jessica Brillhart Animation/VFX: UVPHACTORY For Tiny E Records www.uvphactory.com Management: 3 Artist Management New York’s UVPH boil down live EP: Sheira Rees-Davies action, 2D, and 3D ingredients into a snowy, surreal, hi-con world for For UVPHACTORY The Crystal Method’s collaboration Directors: Alexandre Moors, with Hasidic Jewish rapper Jessica Brillhart Matisyahu. Producer: Brian Welsh 3D lead: Sue Jang The majority of the city, the Compositing lead: John Stanch storefronts, billboards, etc. were AD: Alexandre Moors constructed using 2D cutouts Editing: Jessica Brillhart and After Effects. Live footage DOP: Brian O’Carroll of Matisyahu was shot on 3D: Scott Sindorf, Ali Asghar, greenscreen, treated to look like San Charoenchai, Ajit Menon animation and looped to appear 2D: Marco Valentin, Jason Salo as though he were walking the TD: Damijan Saccio streets of Brooklyn. The 3D robot Prod coordinator: Lauren Simpson infestation and water tanker were rendered though Toon Shade to Toolkit achieve the Sin City-esque comic Softimage, After Effects, Toon book aesthetic. Shade Illustrator, Bridge, Photoshop, Final Cut 9
Röyksopp “Happy Up Here” Music video 2:41
Record label: EMI France Director: Reuben Sutherland Production: Joyrider VFX: Joyrider cityscapes with a torrent of For Joyrider www.joyriderfilms.com realistic CG elements. “Happy Up Director: Reuben Sutherland Reuben Sutherland makes his Here” is the first official promo Producer: Spencer Friend fourth appearance in Stash with for the upcoming release of DOP: Reuben Sutherland this fusion of all things close to Röyksopp’s third studio album Editor: Reuben Sutherland titled Junior. the heart of any child of the 1980s Toolkit – Space Invaders, Transformers, For EMI France After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere Ghostbusters. The video melds Commissioner: John Moule a flow of background live action 10
N.A.S.A. “A Volta” Music video 3:13
Record label: Squeak E Clean Productions Director: Alexei Tylevich Animation: Logan www.logan.tv Another day, another drug deal gone wrong in a dark and seedy metropolis – a familiar tale in a far from typical music video for collaborative musical artists N.A.S.A., who proposed the creative pairing of Logan’s motion skills with the illustration and sculpture talents of LA- based artists Carlos Ramirez and small wooden figurines that Logan For Squeak E Clean Productions Armando Lerma, aka The Date converted into 3D. “I thought it EP: Susan Applegate Farmers. would be fun to turn them into For Logan characters and give them names Completed over the course of Director: Alexei Tylevich and personalities, let them interact three months using Nuke, Maya VFX super/lead 3D: Joshua and see what happens,” adds and After Effects, Logan director Cortopassi Tylevich. “I wanted a world that For The Date Farmers Alexei Tylevich recalls, “We were Editing/sound: Volkert Besseling had a stop-motion feel but had no Carlos Ramirez, Armando Lerma free to use and remix anything we EP: Kevin Shapiro perspective and had a hand-made wanted from the Date Farmers Lead AE compositor: Kevin Stein Toolkit look. The absence of perspective pre-existing artwork.” 3D modeling: Terry Wang Maya, Nuke, After Effects and frenetic camera moves helped AE animation: James Wang In addition to their paintings create the claustrophobic feeling of Particle dynamics: Mat Rotman reflecting Mexican-American an overpopulated city and seemed 3D modeling/lighting/texturing: heritage rooted in California pop to go well with the Date Farmers Vincent Wauters culture, the artists also make flat aesthetic.” 3D modeling: Julien Forest 11
Grizzly Bear “Two Weeks” Music video 4:11
Record label: For Director’s Bureau Warp Records Director: Patrick Daughters Director: Producer: Karen Lin Patrick Daughters For Final Cut Production: Editor: Stephen Berger Director’s Bureau For The Mill VFX: Producer: Lee Pavey The Mill Lead Flame: Tara Demarco www.the-mill.com Flame: Giles Cheetham, Billy Higgins, Jesse Monsuier, Brooklyn’s favorite ursine indie Ross Goldstein, Cole Shreiber, group take on a whole new glow Naomi Anderlini, Westley Sarokin, in the hands of director Patrick Alex Lovejoy, Aska Otake, Daughters and a battalion of Flame John Ciampa talent at The Mill in LA. Flame assist: Gavin Camp, Lead Flame artist Tara DeMarco: Melissa Graff, Gigi Ng, “We were asked to make the skin Keith Sullivan, Suzanne Dyer porcelain-like – smooth and shiny Telecine: Jamie Wilkinson with a transparent prosthetic- 3D: Aaron Grove like quality.” The stark and eerie look of the band members’ faces Toolkit goes beyond their complexions Flame, Combustion, Maya, with not only the enlargement of Baselight their eyes but the compositing of mismatched left and right eyes selected from different takes. In total the Mill’s team of compositors completed 68 effect shots. 12
Diesel “Quique The Head” Viral 3:33
Agency: Shackleton Directors: Agustín Berruezo Andrés Muschietti Production: Toma 78 VFX: Infinia Barcelona www.infinia.es Barbara Muschietti, executive producer at Toma 78 in Barcelona: “Diesel asked for a character who lived without a body and had a normal life. They wanted him to be as real as possible. The main technical challenge was to try to figure out how a head would For Shackleton For Doble Nelson move on its own without a body. Ex CD: Enric Nel.Lo Directors: Agustín Berruezo, We used a green suit for the body CDs: Pipo Virgós, Paco Badía Andrés Muschietti most of the time. And we were Technical development director: Editor: Agustín Berruezo blessed with Fernando Gayesky, Marc Sallent a supreme actor who made it all For Infinia Barcelona Producer: Cristina Cortizas happen.” Colorist: Jordi Murillo For Toma 78 Flame: Albert Herrero Shot with a Red One camera. EP: Bárbara Muschietti Body removal and final composite Toolkit HoP: Ricardo Carrasco where handled at post house Final Cut, Resolve, Flame Producer: Cristina Lera Infinia Barcelona. DoP: Sebastián Sarraute Production designer: Pancho Chamorro 13
Nike “Yellowsnow” Viral 3:50 Agency: Nike Brand Kitchen Director: Manny Bernardez Production: Nike Brand Kitchen For Nike Snowboarding Animation/VFX: Business director: Nike Brand Kitchen Michael Hernandez www.nike.com Marketing Specialist: Despite all those childhood Kevin Stevenson warnings, US snowboard Olympic Sports Marketing: Bobby Meeks medalist Danny Kass eats some For Nike Brand Kitchen suspicious snow and takes a MD: Ean Lensch little trip – hotdog riding, urinating CD: David Reti hippies, buxom wenches and very Design director: Manny Bernardez large bunnies ensue. AD: Eric Divauchelle Animation is based on art by EP: Craig Smith Art/illustrations: Seattle illustrator/artist Arbito who Arbito originally designed the psychedelic Director/editor: Manny Bernardez covering for the new Nike DK-YS DP: Shawn Soundby Zoom Force 1 snowboarding Animation lead: Emmett Dzieza boots. Arbito: “Nike liked the shoe Animators: Ryan Rothermel, Igor design so much they expanded it Chroromanski, Robbie Johnstone, to include a jacket, shirt, posters, Manny Bernardez and an animated video.” Music composition: Kirk Ross Animation was handled in-house For Digital One at the Nike Brand Kitchen in Sound design: Chip Sloan Beaverton, Oregon. Schedule Toolkit from inception to completion: 2.5 Final Cut, After Effects, Illustrator, months. Cinema 4D, Maya 14
Rocky “Education”, “Meal Health”, “Quality Control” TVCs/virals :20 x 3 Client: Fox’s Biscuits Agency: Mother, London Director: D.a.d.d.y. Production: Blinkink Animation: Golden Square www.goldensq.com Producer James Bretton at Blinkink in London: “The most interesting thing about the project is we weren’t blessed with a very big budget so the creative hurdle we had to jump was to embrace that fact rather than shy away from it. “The main thing then was to For Mother London Sound: Factory approach everything, from the VO Producer: Craig Keppler For Cable Spaghetti to the art direction, very seriously, Creatives: Josh Engmann, Music/Sound Design: George as if we were creating real life Kyle Harman-Turner Brennan educational videos. The script was Director/editor/animator: D.A.D.D.Y. already really funny so we had to Toolkit For Blinkink make sure it was delivered well 3ds Max, V-Ray, Photoshop, After Producer: James Bretton and the timing of the animation Effects wasn’t fighting it – the rest was easy(ish).” 15
Philips Cinema 21:9 TV “Carousel“ Branded content 2:19
Agency: Tribal DDB, Amsterdam Director: Adam Berg Production: Stink Digital Stillking VFX: Stink Digital Redrum www.stinkdigital.tv www.redrumpost.se Director Adam Berg admits there some spectacular new piece of Technical lead: For Redrum was very little magic behind the equipment, but we didn’t. The Jan Willem Penterman Post super: Richard Lyons multi-layered complexity of this actors are just standing as still Music/sound design: For Stink Digital trip through a moment of clown as they possibly can when we Michael Fakesch EPs: Mark Pytlik, Daniel infested chaos – the centerpiece move past them. We cast these Additional sound design: Tim Davis Bergmann, Stephen Brierley of an interactive campaign to awesome Czech stunt guys and Producers: Simon Eakhurst, For MPC London promote the Philips CINEMA 21:9 dancers who had good body Stephen Brierley Colorist: Jean-Clement Soret television. control as our stars. We edited the Director: Adam Berg whole thing on set so that Redrum It started with half a page of DOP: Fredrik Backar UK PM: Jemma Daniel could start on the post right away.” notes about clowns robbing a Title sequence/trailer: For Stillking hospital, progressed with Berg For Tribal DDB, Amsterdam Maximiliano Chanan, Odin Church Line producer: Zuzana de Pagter storyboarding as he went and Global CD: Neil Dawson 1st AD: Jiri Ostry working with Redrum post in CD: Chris Baylis For Trim Production designer: Petr Kunc Stockholm to do the previz while Producers: Jeroen Jedeloo, Editor: Paul Hardcastle Czech production manager: on location. Iwona Echt Jiri Kotlas “Shooting happened over two ADs: Mariota Essery, long days in Prague. I would Andrew Ferguson like to say we came up with Copy: Carla Madden, Chris Baylis 16
“Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc.” Short film 2:42 Director: Chris Cairns Production: Partizan Animation/VFX: The Mill www.the-mill.com Partizan director Chris Cairns For The Mill originally studied graphic design Producers: Miles Petit, at St Martins in London but his Gemma Smith subsequent switch to creating Post super: Jarvis moving images has earned Colorist: Jamie Wilkinson him a trail of up-and-coming 3D supers: James Sindle director awards. Here he teams 3D design: Remi Dessignes with a VFX crew at The Mill to 3D: Matthieu Bessudo shoot live action talent rotating 3D design (monitors): at 33.3 RPMs at high-speed Charlie Bayliss then match them to the DJ’s Flame: Adam Grint, Rich Betts turntables. 2D: Patrick Eley Sound design: Will Cohen. For Partizan Featuring: The Scratch Perverts, Writter/director: Chris Cairns Foreign Beggars, Shlomo, Will Producer: Bonnie Anthony Clarke DP: Luke Palmer Editor: Jake Randall-Cutler Production designer: Alex Marden 17
Nike “Exploit Yourself” TVC :50 (spec)
Director: Carl Erik Rinsch Animation: Big Lazy Robot Visual Effects www.biglazyrobot.com No one will blame you if you thought this was another CG character comped into live action plates. But every pixel of this Nike spec spot from young Barcelona VFX studio Big Lazy Robot is built with 3ds Max and rendered with V-Ray. JJ Palomo, Big Lazy Robot CD: “Our wish was to show off the nerve and spark and freshness of the city with the strength and power of modern For Big Lazy Robot Visual sport competition, all in a fully Effects 3D environment. Exploit Yourself Director: Carl Erik Rinsch talks about pushing your limits Models/cloth: Carlos Del Olmo just for the sake of it. It had to be Setup/animation: David Cordero striking new and spirited, and yet Environment/render/lighting: dramatically credible.” Schedule: Miguel Angel Bellot four months. Models: Hugo Bermudez Animation: Rafael Cano Watch Behind the Scenes on Supervisor: JJ Palomo the DVD. Music: The Prodigy “The Big Gun Down” Toolkit 3ds Max, V-Ray, Combustion, Shake 18
Upgrade + Mobilize Short film / self promo 2:35
Director: Capacity Animation/VFX: Capacity www.capacity.tv Ellerey Gave, owner and CD of Capacity in Culver City, CA: “We like to think of Upgrade + Mobilize as a short film and an experimental branding piece. We’re a tight-knit group over here and we spend a is both dimensional and graphic, transforms, sprouts hair, and we came back with new ideas lot of time together. U+M gave us allowing us to blend 2D and 3D burns into ash, leaving a dark and and refreshed stamina to really a chance to bring our individual techniques into our own, freshly menacing feeling to go along with hone everything in – a double- strengths and personalities refined aesthetic. the meaning of the word. edged sword for self-proclaimed together with our shared interests “Digitally hand-painted artwork “From a technical perspective, we perfectionists, but somehow we to create something that really was a huge part of this project. We really forced ourselves to develop reached a point at which we could resonated with us as artists and busted out some Painter to create and combine new techniques, all all agree it was finished.” storytellers. matte paintings, textures, concept of which were time-consuming. For Capacity “The characters needed to work sketches, and even painted on top We dove into a combination of Direction/animation: Ellerey naturally both in silhouette and of some of our final AE composites hand-animated and procedural Gave, Alex Mapar, Benji Thiem, fully lit, which informed the kinds of frame by frame. effects, particle systems, stylized Mitsuka Thiem, Kenny Lutz, Ted details we included in their armor “The typography in Upgrade + hair, and layer upon layer of Gore, Jonathan Larson, Aaron and the actual contour of their Mobilize functions on multiple compositing to get the look we Schurman, Jennifer Gave, Mataya bodies. The play between light levels. We created custom kanji wanted. As a bonus, many of the Gave, Jill Marklin, Dave Hummel, and shadow is a big part of the characters and then came up techniques we developed during Anais Hong, Jonathan Wilson, visual language of the piece. As with an alphanumeric typeface Upgrade + Mobilize are now part Anna Freelove, Kris Szumowski we modeled the characters in 3D, based on those proportions and of our arsenal for client projects. Toolkit we had to constantly monitor how then thought the kanji could “Because of how our schedule Adobe CS, Cinema 4D, Corel shadows were going to interact be dissected to form English worked out, we had to put the Painter with the surfaces, especially in the words. My favorite is the EVIL piece on hold for several months characters’ faces. The end result transformation. The typography at a time. Each time we let it sit, 19
Herzog & de Meuron’s “56 Leonard Street” Architectural film 1:54
Agency: Pandiscio Director: Tronic Studio Animation/VFX: Tronic Studio www.tronicstudio.com Tronic partners Jesse Seppi and Vivian Rosenthal put their Columbia University architecture degrees to use in this sleek and dynamic promotional simulation for a luxury residential tower punctuated by Anish Kapoor’s stainless steel sculpture in that required an enormous amount the Tribeca neighborhood of rendering and hard work, but of Manhattan. Jesse Seppi: we wanted to go the extra mile to “Conceptually and aesthetically polish this amazing building.” we share the same language with For Tronic Studio architects, so the working process CD: Jesse Seppi is much smoother. The biggest AD: Vivian Rosenthal technical challenge was creating EP: Jeff Wolfe a smooth zoom movement from the air. For instance, in the last For Pandiscio shot, where we spin around the CD: Richard Pandiscio completed building in a 360, we Producer: Suchitra Paul produced that entire sequence Music/sound: Nylon Studios in 3D, including modeling the Toolkit shorelines of New Jersey and 3ds Max, Global Illumination, lower Manhattan. Needless to say After Effects 20
Webber & Vettel “Rip Through The Rule Book” TVC/viral 1:52 Client: Red Bull Media House GmbH Directors: Peter Clausen, Christian Tyroller Production: Peter Clausen Film TV Produktionsgesellschaft Animation: AixSponza www.aixsponza.com Munich’s AixSponza studio follow up their 2008 Red Bull “Singapore” clip with another pristinely rendered film carefully RAM on the whole farm and our For AixSponza GmbH Rigging: Fabian Rosenkranz orchestrated to show how recent software developers were busy Co-director/editor: Software development: changes in FIA regulations are coding a lot of extensions and Christian Tyroller Marcel Casasola Merkle reflected in Adrian Newey‘s design plugins to increase our workflow. TD: Manuel Casasola Merkle Compositing: Andreas Gebauer for Red Bull’s 2009 F1 car. Achim As the race car was still under PM: Eva Kunze Sound design/mix: Jochen Fenzl, August Tietz, AixSponza CG artist construction during production, CG: Leonhard Akinbiyi, Michael Gerlach and managing director: “Many several design decisions and Douglas Bello, Arpad Beres, Composer: Andrej Melita, technical components of the race changes had to be adopted at the Marco Seeberger, Philipp Strasser, Peter Clausen car had to be extracted out of a very last moment.” Schedule: two Achim August Tietz, Ingo Walde, Toolkit: gigantic CAD data setup to put months. Leon Zarbock RhinoCAD, Nevercenter Silo, together shots like the exploded CAD: Jan Haluszka, Markus Sick, For Peter Clausen Film and TV Photoshop, Cinema 4D, LAUBlab view of the power train, drive shaft Christian Förg Produktionsgesellschaft mbH V-Ray, FumeFX, After Burn, After and brakes – rendered at full detail, Modeling: Ulf Gieseler, Director/producer: Peter Clausen Effects, Final Cut these took up to 45 minutes per John Strieder Line producer: Cecilia Trück frame. To get this all rendered in VFX: Sebastian Stanek, time we had to increase hardware Matthias Zabiegly 21
Rehab: “Les”, “Cassie” TVCs :30 x 2 Director: Mainframe Production: Mainframe VFX: Mainframe www.mainframe.co.uk The UK’s Living Network promo’s their “Rehab” program with the help of London VFX studio Mainframe by reassembling the show’s subjects who are struggling to control various addictions. Shot on the RED camera, Mainframe used the For Virgin Media TV 4K images as the basis for their Creative head: Alun Constable 3D build in Maya. The porcelain Promo director: Scott Russell pieces were then camera-mapped Head of design: Jo Kheir and fractured in 3ds Max using For Mainframe the Rayfire plugin that controlled Head of 3D: Arvid Niklasson and stylized the sequence. After 3D: Jimmy Johansson three passes of increasingly more 3D modeling: Magali Barbe, detailed fragments and dust, the Liam Chapple, Malte Sandschute rendered particle count ranged Head of design: Lee Walker between two to five million. On-set HDRI images were used for Toolkit reflections and ambient lighting, Maya, 3ds Max, V-Ray, mental with final compositing done in After ray, After Effects Effects. Watch Behind the Scenes on the DVD. 22
“Domino” TVC :60
Client: Fox Italy Director: SB Animation: 3DN Post www.3dnpost.com Buenos Aires studio 3DN Post make their Stash debut in style with this sleek and kinetic restyling of the falling dominoes device to make a point about the sheer size and diversity of the Fox Italy programming line up. Sebastian Bucarey, producer at 3DN reveals the approval process was arduous but worth it: “We had to show Fox each finished domino, one by one. It was originally For Fox Italy conceived as an internal piece, AD: Juan Pablo Kessler but due to the large impact on the Sr designer: Piero Desopo company directors, they decided Sound designer: Carlo Burigana to air it.” Schedule: six weeks. For 3DN Post EP: Matias Muracciole Producer: Sebastián Bucarey. Director: SB VFX: Gonzalo Gutiérrez. CGI: Diego Diéguez. Simulations: Paolo Cavallieri Music: Pomeranec Música y Sonido / Gus & Capi 23
Beate Uhse “Child Lock” TVC :50
Agency: kempertrautmann Directors: Martin Hess, Ole Peters Production: SEHSUCHT GmbH picture must be recognizable just Animation: for a very short moment – ideally SEHSUCHT GmbH hardly recognizable – and just for www.sehsucht.de adults. It should disappear while the adult audience already seems German erotic TV channel Beate to recognize the next, innocent Uhse introduces their child lock illustration – so it is a seamless, feature with some delicate help flowing transition. from Hamburg’s Sehsucht. Co- director Ole Peters: “It was very “During the beginning we all tried important for the agency and the to use the politically right terms For Sehsucht GmbH client that the final commercial for the genitals. It all felt absurd Directors: Martin Hess, Ole Peters be unmistakably addressed to after a few days of work. We didn’t Design: Sehsucht, Martin Hess, adults – and as erotic as possible. want to be rough or perverted but Ole Peters It was pretty tough to find the right, we couldn’t continue with these Illustrator: Christian Endres, matching images for the morphing clinical expressions and started to Mathias Lamken, Marita Löcmele, sequence – and very funny. We develop our very own expressions Simon Jasper Philipp had to find out how far we could and synonyms for the penis and 3D: Heinrich Löwe push the boundaries regarding the the vagina. It helped during the Compositing: Martin Hess, erotic issues and especially the long hours.” Hans-Christoph Schultheiß explicit genital shots – even though Agency: kempertrautmann Producer: Stephan Reinsch it is a European project, I promise CD: Mathias Lamken Record company/music/sound you there are limits. AD: Mathias Lamken, design: Thomas Kisser “The transition between the Simon Jasper Philipp Toolkit images, its duration, and to find the Kundenberatung: Biljana Retzlik, Paper, ink, After Effects, perfect frame to start, was a very Jacqueline Koch Cinema 4D, Illustrator, Photoshop challenging process. The erotic Design: Mathias Lamken 24
Cartoon Network Broadcast design 3:30
Director: Capacity Animation: Capacity www.capacity.tv Ellerey Gave, CD at Capacity (Culver City, CA): “With this redesign, the creative team at Cartoon Network wanted to create an undeniably strong “The writers at CN churned out connection between the network hundreds of scripts, and the team and its content. Cartoon Network at Capacity wrote a number as orchestrated a collaboration well. We created thousands of between their creative team, seconds’ worth of content, most Capacity and urban vinyl toy of which are five and 10-second legends Kidrobot to bring the stories. vision to life. “From an animation standpoint, For Cartoon Network Jr designer/animator: “Together we created an getting these to read and make CD: Michael Ouweleen Kenny Lutz interchangeable system of sense in such a short format HOP: Nathania Seales Character animators: elements that gathered all of was both tricky and rewarding. AD: Kevin Fitzgerald Isaac Hingley, Jun Zee Myers, CN’s characters into one place. Through the course of creating Joshua Delaney For Capacity These blank figures, called Noods, these scenarios, more and more CDs: Ellerey Gave, Benji Thiem For Crew 972 are the canvases upon which characters were included, which EP: Jennifer Gave Animation: Jon Anderson characters of all shapes, sizes, meant creating tons of textures Sr producer: Jill Marklin Design: John Dretzka and styles can coexist. The CN as well. Prod coordinator: Anna Freelove Production/technical assistant: logo is also an extension of this “Production started in June and Sr designers/animators: Mitsuka Kris Szumowski vocabulary as the colors and lasted through December, with Thiem, Alex Mapar, Ted Gore patterns from the characters – Toolkit batches of deliveries every couple Composer/sound: Dave Hummel their DNA – find their way onto the Cinema 4D, Body Paint, After of weeks.” Designers/animators: Jonathan network’s blocky logotype for the Affects, Photoshop, Illustrator Larson, Richie Sandow first time. 25
Syfy “House Of Imagination” Branding film 2:00 Agency: 4 Creative Director: Brett Foraker Production: 4 Creative Animation/VFX: THE MOVING PICTURE COMPANY www.moving-picture.com After two years of research, strategy and testing, Sci Fi Channel is morphing into Syfy. Why? Cable channels are trying to expand their audiences by moving away from specialty programming; not only was Sci Fi shackled with a moniker that narrowed the Golden Compass) with VFX from AD: James Coulson DOP: Larry Fong perception of their offerings, it London’s MPC (Watchmen, Harry Sr producer: Brian Everett Editor: Adam Rudd was also too generic a term to be Potter the Order of the Phoenix). Line producer: Liz Gaffney Sound design/composer: Production coordinator: Rich Martin trademarked. Owned by NBC Universal, Syfy is Miguel Rodriguez available in 95 million US homes For MPC The centerpiece of the rebrand Design consultant: Amie Nguyen is House of Imagination, a two- and targeted to reach more than EP: Jay Lichtman minute film (designed to be cut into 50 international channels by the For 4 Creative Producer: Paula Da Costa a series of five and ten-second IDs) end of 2010. Director: Brett Foraker VFX super (2D Lead): CD: Tom Tagholm Marcus Wood produced by UK-based 4 Creative For Syfy In-House VFX super (3D Lead): led by director Brett Foraker, along Ex CD/ VP creative: EP: Shananne Lane Steve Moncur with feature A-listers DP Larry Michael Engleman Business director: Olivia Browne Fong (Watchmen, 300), production Producer: Roberts Jones HOP: Kate Leonard Music: Goldfrapp “Happiness” designer Tino Schaedler (Charlie CD: Joe Loskywitz Production designer: and the Chocolate Factory, The Tino Schaedler 26
F5 Titles Event titles 2:14
Director: Dvein Animation/VFX: Dvein www.dvein.com Dvein: “When we were invited to make the F5 titles we wanted it to have a real match with the eclectic spirit of the conference. The idea was to get the soul of the speakers into the titles in some way. We asked them for the names of five objects that inspire them or have anything to do with their work. “We received all kinds of answers, really interesting objects that could give us a starting point and translate it into our images: wind turbines, microscopes, lights, smoke, lamb rib cage, french bulldog, etc. The speakers didn’t Music: Antfood know what their answers would be PA: Marco Antonio Ballesteros used for, but they were the seed Actors: Rita (no-domain dogs), for the story. In this way, all the Antenas (as the ant), Zombee speakers have added their bit and (as the bee), Maki (as the fish), there is not a unique author but a Fernando’s hand (as the hand) multiple collaboration. Two weeks for concept/timing, 10 days for production (double full-time).” 27
Love & Anarchy 2009 “Love In The Mountains” Event open Client: Helsinki International Film Festival Directors: Eliza Jäppinen Falconauts Production: Anima Boutique Animation: Anima Boutique www.animaboutique.fi Helsinki animation studio Anima Boutique let loose with an Anime- influenced interpretation of the Love & Anarchy theme of the Helsinki International Film Festival. The tragic tale of romance and monsters in the mountains, lovingly rendered in a mash-up of 2D and 3D, is designed to precede theatrical festival screenings across Finland. Watch Behind the Scenes on For Anima Boutique Character design: Eliza Jäppinen, Compositing: Mari Tolkkinen, the DVD. Directors: Eliza Jäppinen & Joonas Utti Heli Ellis Falconauts Title/graphic design: Music: Juri Seppä, Humina For Love & Anarchy Producer: Anttu Harlin Antero Nuutinen Sound design: Jussi Honka, Producers: Johanna Norrbacka, Lead animator: Joonas Utti 3D toy demon: Jani Kuronen Humina Pekka Lanerva Assistant animator: Kiira Kalliomäki Editor: Mari Tolkkinen Toolkit Backgrounds: Sami Saramäki, Effects animation: Heli Ellis, TVPaint, After Effects, Illustrator, Silver Saarmäel Mari Tolkkinen, Anttu Harlin Photoshop, Painter, Final Cut 28
Klik! Amsterdam Animation Festival 2009 Festival opener 1:10 Directors: Bobby de Groot, SVEN NEVE, ARJAN VAN MEERTEN Animation/VFX: House of Secrets www.houseofsecrets.nl The Klik! Amsterdam Animation Festival gave the boys at Dutch studio House of Secrets three key ideas to drive the 2009 festival open: erotica, Amsterdam and a click toy. Co-director Bobby de Groot: “Technically the challenge was to find an easy and suitable technique to make the boobies bounce. We tried a lot of different techniques, but most of them didn’t give the desired result, especially when she bends forward to the camera. Eventually we settled on a combination of particle springs and animation.” For House of Secrets Camera assistant: Boudewijn Rolff Toolkit Schedule: six weeks. Directors: Bobby de Groot, Boom operator: Menno Vermeulen Maya, Fusion, Photoshop, 3d Sven Neve, Arjan van Meerten Actor: Sander Kamermans Coat, REDCINE, After Effects, For Klik! Amsterdam Animation Additional 3D: Percy Tienhooven SpeedEDIT For FC Walvisch Festival Additional 2D: Jean-Paul Tossings Music/sound design: Lea Jurida Commissioners: Yvonne van Animators: Nanda van Dijk, Kasper Ulden, Dario van Vree, Ophof, Frian Lit, Ruud Renting, Special thanks: Team Facilties, Jiek Weishut Loes Vrielink, Gurkan Yilmaz, FC Walvisch, Nmtrix Animation Cihan Gultas Studios Camera: Mladen Vekic 29
DJ Hero Game titles 1:55
Client: For Warp Films Activision Director: Marco Puig Freestyle Games Producer: Diarmid Scrimshaw Editor: Simon Hargood Director: Marco Puig For Framestore VFX super: Diarmid Harrison Production: Murray Framestore EP: Simon Whalley Warp Films Digital producer: Mike Woods Animation: Sr producer: Sarah Hiddlestone Framestore Animation leads: www.framestore.com Nicklas Andersson, Mike Mellor London’s Framestore brought in FX lead: Martin Aufinger Warp films director Marco Puig to Rigging/cloth: James Healy help visualize the title animation Lead modeling: Alexander Doyle for Freestyle Games’ DJ Hero. The Animation: Alexander Damm, massive project, which the studio Andrew Silke, Fredrik Lindbom, calls “part photo-real, part hyper- Santi Colomo, Tomas Tjernberg real and part nod to game play,” Technical direction: Dan Seddon, required a team of 25 3D artists Henry Vanerbeek, James Healy, working for six weeks to complete Jamie Stewart, Mary Swinnerton, 76 complex HD shots – the final Michele Fabbro, Mikael Widegren, scene includes 4,800 individual Oliver Fergusson Taylor, Adrian dancers. Lee, Paul Denhard, Paul Jones, Pol Chanthasartratsarmee, Richard Coley, Rhys Pugh, Drago Stefan, Robert Kolbeins Composite: Russell Dodgson, Adam Rowland Sound: Pepper Sound Toolkit Maya, Houdini, Nuke 30
“ASSAssIN’S CREED 2” Video game trailer 3:58
Developer: UBISOFT Director: DIGIC Animation: DIGIC www.digicpictures.com Budapet-based Digic Pictures continues to dazzle the video game world with this full-CG trailer for the sequel to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed releasing late 2009 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. 31 Star Wars: The Old Republic “Deceived” Cinematic trailer 3:53 Clients: For Blur Studio FX: John Kosnik, Johanes Kurnia, LucasArts Director/CG super:Dave Wilson Andrew Melnychuk-Oseen, BioWare Animation super: Derron Ross Torbjorn Olsson, Brian Prince, Director: CD: Tim Miller Brandon Riza, David Stinnett DAVE WILSON Producer: Mandy Sim Mocap prep/clean-up: Ryan EP: Al Shier Girard, Anthony Romero Animation: FX super: Brandon Riza Technical/QC supers: Shaun Blur Studio Layout super: David Nibbellin Absher, Steven Caron, Sze Chan, www.blur.com Lighting/compositing super: Ben Durkin, Michael Stieber Premiered to cheering throngs at Corey Butler Concept design: Hugo Martin, the E3 gaming trade show in 2009, Character modeling super: Sean McNally, Chuck Wojtkiewicz this panoramic and highly detailed Sze Chan Matte painter: Jaime Jasso trailer for the new massively- Associate producer: Lindsey Production assistant: Amanda multiplayer online game version Zamplas Powell of the most successful narrative Modeling: Shaun Absher, Heikki Technical support: Shaun Escayg, franchise in history pushed Anttila, Alessandro Baldasseroni, Andy Grisdale, Greg Kegel, Brian the limits of Blur’s seasoned Sze Chan, Darren Butler, Luis McKee, Leo Santos production team team and battle- Calero, Jinho Jang, Kris Kaufman, Tools/scripts: Karl “Krash” hardened infrastructure. For LucasArts James Ku, Alex Litchinko, Laurent Goldshmidt, Eric Hulser, Jentzen Sr director of global marketing: Pierlot, Olivier Vernay-Kim Mooney, Tomas Pulmano Blur EP Al Shier: “It was one of Peter Kingsley Rigging: Steven Caron, Ben Programming/systems admin: the most complex projects we’ve Sr integrated marketing manager: Durkin, Enoch Ihde, Michael Duane Powell, Jeremy Donahue, undertaken –hundreds of Jedi Roger Evoy Stieber Paul Huang, Matt Newell and Sith in robes that required AD: Steve Ervin Animation: John Kosnik, Thai-My For Impact Stunts cloth simulation running around Sr product marketing manager: Nguyen, Derron Ross, William Fight choreographer: Eric Chen with light sabers, fighting in a Rob Cowles Vanoost, Jon Vener, Brian Stunt choreographer: Joe Perez temple that is falling apart. We Product marketing manager: Whitmire, Nick Whitmire also wanted to create a trailer Pat Alvarado Hair/cloth simulation: Becca Mocap stage: House of Moves with incredible action and fight Baldwin, Jon Jordan For BioWare Toolkit choreography so we brought in Lighting/compositing: Heikki Director of marketing: Leo Olebe 3ds Max, Softimage, Digital a stunt team for a few weeks to Anttila , Corey Butler, Darren Manager/online marketing Fusion, mental ray, CS3 create some high energy scenes Butler, Luis Calero, Kris Kaufman, production: Rob Chestney Production Suite that we, as Star Wars fans, have Jan Major, Olivier Vernay-Kim, Marketing specialist: Deborah Shin always wanted to see.” Dave Wilson 32
“Yellow Belly End” Student film 8:47
School: National Film and Television School Director: Philip Bacon Animation: Philip Bacon www.slinkypics.com Philip Bacon, a recent graduate of the UK’s esteemed National Film and Television School, on the making of Yellow Belly End: “Everything was meticulously storyboarded and made into an animatic until we began shooting in the middle of May. The footage was then edited together for a couple of weeks and I was able to start rotoscoping this cut at the also interesting to see how many Production designer: Violin: John Dickinson, Clare beginning of June. The live action people were drawn to trying on the James Morrall Wheeler, Becca Mathews, Ruth Elder, was filmed using a basic digital cow costume and then pretended Editor: Josh Levinsky Cello: Karen Davies, JoKeithley camera and the rotoscoping was to milk themselves. They shall Composer: Stuart Earl Viola: Alison Jones, Emily Richards drawn using a Wacom tablet, remain nameless.” Sound designer: Zhe Wu Double bass: Nick Walsh Sound recordist: Mike Taylor Foley artist: Peter Burgis Photoshop and After Effects. Philip Bacon is now signed for 1st AD: Adam Coop Bird: Simon Munnery representation with Slinky Pictures “Fortunately all the actors involved PMs: Oscar Roig, Joanne Watts Cow: Laura Pyper in London. brought something new and Clapper loader: Charlie Palmer Cat: Alanis Peart exciting to their particular role Director/co-writer/animator: Grip: Tony Shults Dog: Michael Coghlan including actor and comedian Philip Bacon Rotoscoping assistants: Rabbit: Eliott James Simon Munnery (who played the Producer: Mo Bazazi Sara Chew, Richard Phelan Fish: Nemo Wu main character) known for his Co-writer: Mahalia Rimmer Colourist: Richard Phelan surreal brand of humor. It was Cinematographer: Leigh Alner Online edit/grader: Nikolas Almpanis Toolkit Photoshop, After Effects 33
“Engel zu Fuss” Short film 6:27
Directors: For Studio SOI Jakob Schuh Directors: Jakob Schuh, Saschka Unseld Saschka Unseld Animation: Production: Carsten Bunte Studio SOI Screenplay: Marcus Sauermann www.studiosoi.de Graphics: Jakob Schuh Animator: Johannes Weiland, German animation talents Studio Klaus Morschheuser, Michael SOI last graced the pages of Stash Sieber, Maria Bogade in issue 12 when their mutli-award Texturing/shading: winning short Bunnies redefined Saschka Unseld the boundaries of snappy motion Compositing: Mathias Schreck and anthropomorphized critter Sound: Florian Dittrich, design. This new film, about a Christian Heck wing-challenged angel named Music: Natalia DittrichVoices: Waltraud, has found glowing Henriette Heinze reviews and multiple awards at prestigious animation festivals Toolkit around the globe including Maya, Combustion Annecy, Ottawa and SIGGRAPH. Schedule: five months 34
“Yankee Gal“ Student film 4:52
Directors: Antoine Perez Céline Desrumaux Francois Pons Gary Levesque Production: Supinfocom, Valenciennes French animation school Supinfocom has produced a bumper-crop of mega-watt student talent in 2008, with Gary (Stash 55), Taste of Surimi (Stash 57), and this surrealist WWII allegory titled Yankee Gal. Co-director Antoine Perez on the design and delivery of the film: “We crafted a story that focused completely on the characters, so we had to make sure the audience could identify with them. The Levesque temporarily forgot how Toolkit designs needed a realistic feel, to use Photoshop, from stress and something that would make them 3ds Max, mental ray, After Effects, sleep deprivation!” stand as humans and not toys. Avid Xpress, Photoshop, After However, they also needed a Animation: Antoine Perez, Céline Burn, PolyBoost, Vanilla Pass touch of magic and imagination, so Desrumaux, Francois Pons, Manager we mixed both influences together. Gary Levesque Sound track: Cole Porter, Nicolas “We finished a little off-schedule. Répac, Olivier Calmel By that I mean we willingly missed our train to the jury to grab a few Distribution company: more work hours. Those last Premium Films hours were so intense that Gary 35
“Les Ventres” Short film 15:22
Director: Philippe Grammaticopoulos Production: Haidouk! Films Animation: Je Suis Bien Content www.jesuisbiencontent.com Philippe Grammaticopoulos created his own genre of stylish For Je Suis Bien Content black and white dystopian film- Screenplay: Philippe making earlier this century with Grammaticopoulos the short films Le Processus, Music: Pierre Schaeffer, Le Regulateur, his Amnesty George Crumb International spot which won a AD: Philippe Grammaticopoulos Gold Lion at Cannes in 2007. With Modeling 3D: Nicolas Combecave, this new film, Les Ventres, (The Philippe Grammaticopoulos Bellies), Grammaticopoulos adds Animation 3D: some chroma to his signature Jean-Charles Gonin, Philippe crosshatch shading and extends Grammaticopoulos, Lucas Vallerie his stark geometric vision into a full Rendering 3D: Jérémie Droulers, 15-minute narrative. Philippe Grammaticopoulos, Loïc Salmon Sound effects: Philippe Grammaticopoulos, Lucas Vallerie Editing: Philippe Grammaticopoulos Sound mix: Alexandre Poirier Producer: Jean-Jacques Benhamou Toolkit 3ds Max, After Effects, Photoshop 36
“The Pearce Sisters” Short film 9:12
Director: For Aardman Animations Luis Cook Director: Luis Cook Production: Adapted by: Luis Cook Aardman Animations Design/layout: Luis Cook Animation: Adam Cootes, Nigel Animation/VFX: Davies, Eve Coy, Theresa Whatley, Aardman Animations Emma Greenwood, Les Orton, Staff director Luis Cook takes a Mårten Jonmark, Dan Lane break from his commercial chores “I knew I wanted to mix 3D CGI Editor: Dan Williamson at Aardman to adapt a short with 2D somehow – rough it up a Voices: Len Gray, Dan Williamson story by UK author Mick Jackson bit. I also thought a film that came Sound super: Will Norie into this bleak and visceral tale out of the Aardman studio that Dubbing editor: Sean Richards honored with acclaim at a score of didn’t touch clay would be a good Script editor: Phil Parker prestigious international festivals. thing (actually we did model the Models/texturing: Andrew Lavery characters roughly in clay before Compositing: Bram Ttwheam “I wanted to make the film we built them in the computer). Additional models: Tom Lord with live action men dressed Rigging: Steve Roberts “So we animated everything in the as women with makeup and Technical director: Philip Child computer with CG models, then prosthetics. But Peter Lord Thank you: Steve Harding Hill, printed the frames out and worked and Miles Bullough (head of Darren Robbie, Chris Domaille, over them in 2D, filling in the details development at Aardman) wouldn’t Hilary Jelbert, Laurel Jelbert Cook and expressions and scanning it let me – in retrospect quite wisely. EPs: Peter Lord, David Sproxton, all back in over the 3D. This also Miles Bullough, Helen Brunsdon “I looked at a lot of St Ives artists meant we could get fills, shadows Producer: Jo Allen such as Ben Nicholson and and textures from the 3D and all PAs: Maggie O’Connor, Elena Alfred Wallis and wanted to evoke the 2D looseness. The 3D also Wong, Rae Rawlings a bit of that natural, hand-drawn, gave the characters a sense of Based on the story by: scruffy, naive, outsider art. I also reality, weight and volume, which I Mick Jackson like the idea that this story could thought important to the narrative. have happened 50 years ago, To hold it all together aesthetically, and as if the film itself had been I did a fully rendered design washed up by the sea. I was also for each of the 180 shots. So trying to make it austere and everyone - CG, 2D, comp - knew beautifully ugly, atmospheric. where we were headed.”