Click 3X recently wrapped a series of visually stunning promos for a pair of exciting new shows from long-time client PBS: PBS Arts Fall Festival and the universe-dissecting Nova series.
Press Release from Click 3X
Click 3X recently wrapped a series of visually stunning promos for a pair of exciting new shows from long-time client PBS: PBS Arts Fall Festival and the universe-dissecting Nova series. Gearing up their best animation, compositing, design and VFX, the studio churned out a brilliant parade of imagery to promote the two new series.
"We've worked with Click 3X for years with great success and results, and they've become one of our go-to design companies," noted PBS Senior Creative Director John Ruppenthal. "A lot of companies will listen, but they don't always hear. Click is different - they adapt and adjust to our feedback and come through with an end-product that is perfect every time. Plus, their versatility is astounding - that they can dive in and bring such polar opposite ideas as we have in these two campaigns to life is absolutely unreal."
"PBS wanted some attention-grabbing work that would capture the essence of these two great shows, and they knew Click 3X could handle it," noted Click 3X Managing Director David Edelstein.
The PBS Arts Fall Festival is at the center of the network's fall lineup, offering full-length musical and theatre performances, artist and performer profiles, behind-the-scenes documentaries and mini-films about the wide array of art scenes across the US.
Click 3X spent the summer collaborating with the PBS team to develop the project. The key was to find a way to spotlight beautifully shot thematic moments, as well as upcoming show footage, in a way that illustrated how such diverse performances could all come together in one place. By featuring a blend of powerful, brilliantly colored graphics and star-studded footage, Click was able to harness that sensibility, first with an internal sizzle, and then through a long lead tease, promos, and key show packaging.
"We wanted to illustrate how the arts festival embraced the entire nation," stated Creative Director Ders Hallgren. "Of course, when you're dealing with such renowned artists, the promotions have to equal the fantastic art that the shows profile, so we had to pull all of our creative powers together to develop some really knock-out stuff."
Nova's Fabric of the Cosmos, starring acclaimed physicist and author Brian Greene, explores a series of compelling questions that lie beneath the surface of our everyday existence: What is space made of? Is time travel possible? Can you exist in other universes? In its promos, Click 3X beckons potential viewers to the series with an illustration of the Big Bang in reverse; a high-speed, twisting ride through the cosmos, past masses of celestial bodies blinking in and out of the picture in a series of explosions and a flutter of disintegrating and reforming matter.
Click 3X worked with Greene and the PBS team over a several-month period to cater the promotion directly to the series' main message points. After a comprehensive design phase that explored the use of live-action, illustration, and both 2D and 3D animation, the teams agreed upon a final look. Click 3X then joined forces with accomplished matte painter Bill Mather (Star Wars trilogy, Forrest Gump) to create the sequence's look, which they executed in Maya and Flame under the creative direction of Click 3X artist Theo Maniatis.
"These projects really showcase our team's ability to create compelling design fused seamlessly with our powerful VFX and 3D divisions," shared Hallgren. "We were thrilled with the opportunity to work with PBS on such wild rides, both across our nation and through space."
Credits:
PBS Arts Fall FestivalCreative Director - Ders HallgrenArt Director - Miguel HernandezDesigner - Lisa AckleyDesigner / Animator - Miguel Delcan2D Animation / 3D Animation - William Decker2D Animation / 3D Animation - Wes RichardsonManaging Director - David EdelsteinExecutive Producer - Rob MeyersExecutive Producer - John Levy
Nova's Fabric of the CosmosCreative Director - Ders HallgrenCreative Director / VFX - Theodore ManiatisDesigner - Lisa Ackley2D Animation / 3D Animation - Mark RubboCG - Clay BudinCG - Sung KimCG - Santish SaileshManaging Director - David EdelsteinExecutive Producer - Rob MeyersProducer - Maddy YasnerExecutive Producer - John Levy
About Click 3X:Click 3X and its interactive division ClickFire Media create engaging film, TV and web content. Positioned at the intersection of entertainment, advertising, and technology, the studios work in tandem or autonomously. Click 3X shoots, edits, designs, animates and creates VFX, while ClickFire Media brings those disciplines into the interactive space. Click 3X operates a full service, 11,000 square foot state of the art studio in Manhattan outfitted with 50 fulltime staffers. In 2010 audio post-production division, Sounds Like Click was launched to provide sound design, mixing and original music services.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
