The Brief:
Absolute's lead Flame artist Dave Smith and his team of VFX artists have crafted a dazzling array of special effects for home improvement giant Lowe's new Spring 2009 campaign, via HSI director Gerard de Thame and BBDO New York.
Starts at Lowe's/Outdoor emphasizes the amazingly affordable outdoor products, machines and materials Lowe's carries in its stores every day. With the arrival of spring, barbecues, plants, lawn mowers and tractors come streaming out of a Lowe's store and into the parking lot, much to the surprise of loyal Lowe's patrons. The message is clear: spring has arrived and Lowe's has everything you need to start living outdoors.
From Absolute:We were tasked with creating the army of marching furniture and garden equipment for Starts at Lowe's/Outdoor. Dave Smith worked closely with Gerard de Thame to develop two complementary approaches to the FX. For some scenes, rigs were built so that both plants and objects could be puppeteered on green screen. For other scenes our CG team began the lengthy process of modeling flowers, tractors, tables, chairs and umbrellas that were then animated and composited into the live action footage. Utilizing the talents of our fully integrated teams in London and New York, client changes were handled in a timely manner. Our post production expertise was complemented on this project by sister company Blind Pig, who worked closely with the client to create the motion graphics elements.
The Creds:
Client: Lowe'sSpots Title: Starts at Lowe's/Outdoor (featured), Starts at Lowe's/NurseryAir Date: March 2009
Agency: BBDO New YorkArt Director: Ken MatsubaraCopywriter: Colin IsleyCD: Wil BoudreauProducer: Diane McCannAP: Stephanie Gottlieb
Prod Company: H.S.I.Director: Gerard De ThameProducer(s): Fabyan Daw, Maddi Carlton
Editorial: The Cutting RoomEditor: Chuck Willis
Post/Effects: AbsoluteLead Flame: Dave SmithFlame Artist(s): Nathan Kane, Dirk Greene3D Artist(s): Vania Alban-Zapata, Maru Ocantos, Minh Nguyen-Ba, Jamie White, Matt Burn, Toby Walton, Liz Scully, Pete Hamilton, Keith KamholzMotion Graphic Designer: Ric Comline (at Blind Pig)Combustion: Dan Leatherdale, Mark Epstein, James Cornwell, Michel SmithEP: Andy BarmerProducer(s): Sally Heath, Nirad 'Bugs' Russell
