tween

Updated: small synopsis from Logan.

Happy New Year Tweensters!
I hope you all had a great Christmas & New Year and mostly stayed out of trouble. I had planned to post this on January 1st… but I was, uh, enjoying the festivities still. I pray you were too.

Looking back on 2005, I thought there were some standout pieces that could do with reposting. I’m pretty sure you don’t care much what I think of anything, so as an extra treat, I’ve tried to get some background on each piece from those responsible (some people were on holiday, but I’ll keep you updated if and when it comes to hand). I hope you enjoy looking back on this stuff like I have the last couple of weeks, and get ready to have your own say pretty soon with something spiritform and Justin are hard at work on.

That said, get ready for possibly the longest tween post ever – Highlights 2005:

Logan – Current TV 40 spots
We all love Logan, don’t we? Even if you think you don’t, you do. I know you do. There will be more info on the spot when the Logan group get back from Holidays. Despite that, I have some info to share: There are indeed 40 spots (although not all of them are in the montage) with virtually none of them exceeding 7 seconds. However, at some points the Logan Crew were delivering up to 3 a week! There is a lot of diversity in style and approach, but still that Logan feel.

“Client: Current TV
Production company: Logan
Design and animation: Logan
Creative Director: Alexei Tylevich

Project: On-air package and over 50 animated show opens, including logo design for each, for a new TV channel created by former US vice president Al Gore. The Current logo was designed by Peter Saville and Brett Wickens of Meta Design.

Current TV programming consists of “pods” (one to six minute segments), which are being broadcast continuously throughout the day. The extremely eclectic graphic look was chosen to mirror the channel’s programming approach, designed to accommodate the ever expanding line-up of pods.”

Watch Current TV 40 spots
Website

National Telivision – Virgin Digital “Muscle Mania” & Nike “Free Nature”
National Telivison gets two because I couldn’t choose. Both these spots are filled with so much detail – in both visual material and other, more subtle, areas like fine background animations, sound effects and an attention to hidden detail. Like Justin said when we first saw the Nike spot: “They’re also the masters of beautiful comps. Check out the Nike “Nature” piece under Work. Press the pause button at random and chances are you’ll be staring at a gorgeous, lush composition oozing color and twinkling light.” Indeed.
Again, more info from National when it comes to hand.

Watch Virgin Digital “Muscle Mania”
Watch Nike “Free Nature”
Website

Qube Konstrukt – Noise Festival Submit
I’m a big fan of motion work that builds. Qube has always been able to do this so well, all that way back to the semi-permanent entry from quite a few years ago now – the noise spot is probably my favorite though. The colour grading, compositing, shifts between 2d & 3d, pacing, music – It all fits so tightly together. And they’re Australian too, so that’s bonus points in my book.

Watch Noise Festival Submit
Website

XYZ studios – Honda: “I want one”
Another small but immensely talented studio on my list, XYZ brought bring back the pencil and eraser to animation. What is really interesting is how maya was used to create the original previz for the spot – then each frame printed out and animated to by hand. It’s a lot of effort, but it also has a look and feel to it that simply wouldn’t be possible only using 3D animation. A good reminder not to ignore the roots and influences of the nascent motion graphics profession.

Watch Honda “I want one” (also look below the quicktime for a link to the previz clip)
FXGuide also has an interview with Tim Kentley, godfather of design and animation at XYZ (That’s my title for him, not theirs).
Website

Hornet/JJ & Maithy – Honda Civic “Rebirth”
There isn’t much I can say about this than I haven’t been given by the lads and lasses at Hornet and JJ & Maithy (who are all super nice people all really helpful in getting us info on the project – thanks again guys):

“The overall project took about 2 months (Mid-June to Mid-August) with the first four weeks being the most intense. JJ and Maithy worked on a set of concept frames during the first week, which were then moved into a 3 week production schedule. Over the remaining month of the schedule, we made various tweaks and changes per the clients needs as well as created custom desktops which were made available to download from the website. The final intro and outro (provided by RPA) were added in early September to coincide with the launch of the site.”

And in late-breaking info from JJ & Maithy:

“Our goal with the piece was to mirror the characteristics of the new ‘06 Honda Civic, a car transformed and revived. Sweeping, curving surfaces define the background inside the frame. There are no walls, no boundaries. The imagery is at first alien to us, but then develops a faint familiarity. The animation consists of elements that produce sounds and visuals. They resemble the mundane objects we’re used to seeing, but are now altered and viewed in a different way. For example, a record player is transformed from being flat to having more rounded features. Another element, a stringed-instrument resembling a guitar is redesigned with strings that are thicker, elastic, and more pliable to the changing modulations of the sound.

The sensory experience was also stressed, for example, an ear reacting to the sonic qualities of an engine revving. Other senses were explored, such as a stylized fingers feeling an unfamiliar material and an eye opening to behold an extraordinary, beautiful visual. A kinetic ambience infects the piece as sight and sound react harmoniously. At the end, an inventive, flying contraption serves as a key, controlling and maintaining the whole environment.

The overall project took about 2 months (Mid-June to Mid-August) with the first four weeks being the most intense. JJ & Maithy worked on a set of concept frames during the first week, which were then moved into a 3 week production schedule. Over the remaining month of the schedule, we made various tweaks and changes per the clients needs as well as created custom desktops which were made available to download from the website. The final intro and outro (provided by RPA) were added in early September to coincide with the launch of the site.

Tools used: Cinema 4D, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator.”

Watch Honda Civic “Rebirth”
Hornet Website
JJ & Maithy Website

Anders Schroder (DFORM1/Transistor Studios) – Isle of MTV promo
These made my own and a couple of co-workers jaws drop when we first saw them. Anders seems to top himself with each effort – even if in this case he had a little help from The Mill. I really like the sort of organic machine aesthetic created here with the beautiful artificial light along with the overall complexitiy.

Watch Isle of MTV Teaser 1
Watch Isle of MTV Teaser 2
Watch Isle of MTV Sequence
Website

Engine – Discovery Lifestyle Networks workshop ident
I’m also a big fan of, uh, things that change into other things. I’m also a big fan of Engine, so its win-win. I had a good chat with Creative Director Finnegan Spencer – unfortunately I forgot to get any info on this spot at all (but he was good enough to send me a widescreen quicktime), but I’ll get him to send some through and update this post in the future.

Watch Discovery Lifestyle Networks workshop ident
Website

Danny Yount (sixteentwenty) – Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang title sequence
Danny was a great help giving us a rundown of this fantastic title sequence. Again, the man himself gives a better insight than myself:

“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the latest Shane Black film based on an L.A. detective (Kilmer) and a crook who becomes an actor by accident (Downey Jr). Much of the story is centered around some crime novels from the 60’s. Joel Silver (producer of the Matrix) had wanted us to do a short open title that would lead right into the film, but after reading the script and seeing some of the book cover illustrations that were to be used in it, I saw an opportunity to do something that was stylistically like the Bass titles from that era. When they saw our first test, they loved the idea and we went from there, creating a full main title sequence. Jon Ottman had given us a score way ahead of time so we built the entire sequence around this piece.

Conceptually, I wanted it to follow the lead character through a lot of twists and turns, not unlike the story, and I wanted the books themselves to drive a large portion of the narrative. It also could not be too complicated technically in order to be able to quickly move things through the pipeline, and also just to be true to the graphic 2d aesthetic of that time period. We used minimal 3d in a couple of sections, but most was done in AfterEffects and output using Shake.”

Watch Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Website

Tyson Ibele – Sony Style
This piece blew me away for a couple of reasons – the fact that the majority of the work was done by 18-year old Tyson Ibele in just under 2 weeks is a big part of it. I usually not a fan of hey-I’m-all-crazy-3D type spots, but the animation and modeling is so good I felt I should mention it (even if they type is pretty awful).
There is more info on the workflow and timeframe over at CGSociety if you want to trek through the forum posts.

Watch Sony Style
Website

Jake Portman (notactualsize.net) – Rainy day fun for children ages 6 and up
I saw Rainy Day on xplsv.tv a while back and fell in love with it. The transitions, character animation, careful colour choice, everything. And its just a personal project!

Jake had this to say about it:

”This was a self motivated project, the basis of which has been floating around in one form or another since the mid 90s, and was originally concieved of as a promotional brochure while I was still at University.

It’s kind of like If a children’s activity book from the 1970’s were to come to life, and the one who brought it to life was an angry, hyperactive seven year old.

The whole job took around 3-4 weeks to complete.

I’m currently preparing for another, bigger better peice. It’s going to be a bible epic/Japanese infomercial, and I’m working on it with Bill Sneed, and it should be done around Mach in 06”

I’m looking forward to it.

Watch Rainy day fun for children ages 6 and up
Website

Student film – LeBuilding (le-building.com)
I think it has become something of a theme for a lot of the pieces I’ve chosen that what is created is far better than what you might expect from the team and their equipment. What better exemplifies this than a student film of professional quality? Oliver Staphylas (one of the 5 students who worked on the film) gave us this:

“ “Le Building” is an animated short film made by a team of 5 french students (Olivier Staphylas, Marco Nguyen, Pierre Perifel, Xavier Ramonède and Rémi Zaarour) from the animation school “the Gobelins” in Paris, France.

It was made as an opening short done for the Annecy 2005 international animation festival, so it had to be funny and/or punchy. After working on the story to find an idea all the team members liked and would be happy to work on, they came up with a simple idea (a grand mother wants her neighbour to stop singing so loud) where the main focus is on the crazy chain reaction that follow from it, for your viewing pleasure.
The movie was completed in 4 months and a half ( including screenplay, storyboards and designs ). The technique is a mix between traditionnal 2d, flash, and 3d animation. As there are several techniques used in this film, the challenge was to blend them so that the audience won’t notice it too much. For example the Pizza guy, his bike, the bus, and the crane are in 3D, the cat on the pizza guy’s head is animated with Flash, and the other characters are traditionnally 2D animated.

Produced by : Gobelins school, Paris FRANCE (www.gobelins.fr)
Directors : Olivier Staphylas, Marco Nguyen, Pierre Perifel, Xavier Ramonède, Rémi Zaarour
CG Supervisor : Olivier Staphylas
2D Animation : Marco Nguyen, Pierre Perifel, Xavier Ramonède, Rémi Zaarour
3D Animation : Olivier Staphylas
Sound design and music : Olivier Crouet (www.cblvprod.com)
Vocal performance : Manu Nabajoth
Production time : 4 months and a half (including story, storyboards and designs)
Techniques : traditionnal 2D, 3D and Flash
Softwares : Alias Maya 6, Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe After Effects 6.5, Crater Software CTP, Macromedia Flash MX2004, Logic Audio, Pro Tools
CG Rendering done with Mental Ray for Maya.
CGI elements : Pizza boy, his bike, the bus, the crane. And some CGI backgrounds or multi-plane backgrounds to allow 3D camera movements.”

Watch LeBuilding
Watch The Making of LeBuilding
Website

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006 at 11:59 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.