New York visual effects house Quiet Man has finished a new commercial for AT&T and ad agency Wunderman. Directed by Quiet Man lead 3D artist David Shirk, "Blue Line Guy" is a 60-second animated spot designed to promote "AT&T Worldnet Service Plus." Set against a paper white background, which occasionally tears to reveal vital information, the spot opens with an outline of an outstretched stick figure using a deep blue crayon to draw himself and his dream Internet service. "From the beginning, the agency knew what they didn't want to see in the spot," said Shirk, somewhat cryptically. "They had a good storyboard but they told us that they did not want the spot to look as if it were traditionally animated. Even though they wanted the character to be drawn with and to carry around a blue crayon, they did not want the quirky, hand-drawn quality that scenario might imply. It was very important that Blue Line Guy appear three-dimensional and have the coherence of a genuine character. Our technical director Brad Gabe did a great job with shader development in coming up with how this character might look in 3D space."
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
