Digital animation company Mixin Pixls has finished work on the 'Volcanologists' spot for the new Chevy S-10 crew cab 4x4 pickup. Mixin Pixls joined with Crew Cuts editor Bob Jenkis, Flying Tiger Films' director Robert Gordon and advertising agency Campbell-Ewald's creative team of John Haggerty, Steve Bolt and Matt Fera to produce the commercial. The spot introduces viewers to the hazards of a day-in-the-life of a group of volcanologists who are studying the activity of a nearby volcano. The volcano erupts and places the volcanologists in harm's way. Two of the scientists jump into their S-10 crew cab pickup and drive though a perilous landscape to rescue other stranded crewmembers. The durability and safety of the Chevy S-10 pickup is highlighted as the rescue is completed and the crew drives to safety while avoiding the volcano's lava, fire pits, billowing clouds of ash and other obstacles. Director Gordon shot the Chevy S-10 pickup footage in Oregon. The live-action shots were used as a template for the overall effects-laden final spot. Mixin Pixls utilized stock footage imagery, Adobe After Effects and the Quantel Henry to create and composite multiple layers of an artificially-erupting volcano, falling ash, plumes of ash smoke and lava fire pits to create the feel of a threatening landscape. "Mixin Pixls' Mark Dennison and I have collaborated on many occasions," noted Crew Cuts' Jenkis, "and we tend to envision things in the same way. Since we were all involved in the project early on in pre-production, we were prepared for the creative challenges. Mark was able to achieve an impressive degree of realism, and I enjoyed working on a good action story." For Mixin Pixls, Harri Paakkonen served as CGI director, Mark Dennison served as compositing artist and Dan Filice served as executive producer.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
