Three NBA players are touched by the hand of the Creator and made to perfection in Method Studios latest work for Adidas and TBWA Chiat/Day. The spot, aptly titled MADE TO PERFECTION, was lensed by Rupert Sanders of Omaha Pictures and began airing Feb. 7, 2005.
Select scenes from the cinematic-looking spot and more information may be found at the Adidas site: www.21121.com (the site address corresponds to the jersey numbers of the featured NBA stars - #21 Kevin Garnett/Minnesota Timberwolves; #1 Tracy McGrady/Houston Rockets; #21 Tim Duncan/San Antonio Spurs).
The dark and dramatic commercial opens in a laboratory-like setting where a slightly obscured man the Creator painstakingly sculpts, molds and assembles small scale models of the three NBA players. Each player is made to perfection and put under glass cylinders. The next scene finds the Creator reaching beyond his heavenly lab (with a Creator-sized hand) to rip open the ceiling of a sports arena to place each player onto the basketball court. The moment the players touch the court they come alive and bewilderingly clench and unclench their hands. A basketball is dropped from above to the court and the spot ends as the game begins, with the tagline Adidas: Impossible Is Nothing and the 21121 website address.
Prior to the seven-day shoot, the team, which included director Rupert Saunders, cinematagrapher Jess Hall, Live Action producer Chris Nelson, editor Neil Smith, production designer Dominique Watkins and Method vfx artist Cedric Nicolas, huddled to determine the scale of the various models and props and consequently decisions were made on camera depths of field, shooting speed and lens types. Meticulous and careful attention was paid to achieving the right balance of scale between the size of the Creators hand and the players and sports arena.
Technology tools: composited elements with flame/inferno, created debris in Maya.
Based in Santa Monica, California, award-winning Method (www.methodstudos.com) is a visual effects artists' studio specialized in the production of digital imagery for commercials, feature films and music videos.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
