Guava and Hornet Inc. have completed vfx and production for JACK AND THE BEANSTALK and 3 BEARS, the second and third :30 entries in a three-spot campaign for Quaker via Element79Partners. Hornet recently created character design work for the first spot, RED RIDING HOOD.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK is a modern twist on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale, in which Jack forgoes the Golden Goose and Singing Harp to get the Giant's huge box of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars. Guava visual effects artist and supervisor Alex Catchpoole traveled to Toronto to perform on-set supervision for the live-action shoot. Guava greenscreened and composited the characters to create a completely live-action version of the Giant's fantasy world.
3 BEARS, meanwhile, is a comedic spot based on THE THREE BEARS with likeable bear characters that have interesting personalities. It represents a groundbreaking spot for Hornet: the whole spot is animated by Hornet, there is no live action besides live-action plates; its the first time the company has achieved anything on this scale. The spot is a technical achievement for its utilization of Shave and a Haircut for Maya.
Hornet credits include:* Steve Talkowski (animation director)* Peter DeSeve (character designer)* Michael Feder (exec producer)* Danielle Amaral (producer)* Thomas Yip and Ken Brilliant (modeling)* Steve Talkowski, Anderson Ko, Ferdinand Terado and Gerald Ding (animators)* Erik J Borzi (fur R&D, shaders, lead lighting technical director) * Jimmy Chim (sr. lighting technical director and tool development)* Tamir Diab, Julio Soto and Kuan Lin (lighting technical directors)* Peter Fink (final compositing)* Marco Burbano (rigging)* Mark Russell (on-set vfx supervisor)
Guava credits include:* Alex Catchpoole, Visual Effects Artist & Supervisor* Charles Self, Producer
New York visual effects studio Guava (www.guavanyc.com) was established for creative artists and producers to make striking images using the most effective means. The creative environment in New York's Chelsea District fosters experimental thinking, exploration and open collaboration between artists and clients. And Guava's involvement at the earliest stages of a project ensures solutions are stunning and practical.
Hornet Inc. (www.hornetinc.com) is located in New York and Los Angeles (with an affiliate studio in New Zealand). Hornets roster of leading artists and directors include several key talent that worked on FINDING NEMO AND ICE AGE.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
