Following a successful partnership on the music video for Michael Jackson's This Is It, Director Spike Lee once again entrusted Smoke & Mirrors to handle post and VFX for his recent collaboration with ABSOLUT BROOKLYN.
Press Release from Smoke & Mirrors
Following a successful partnership on the music video for Michael Jackson's This Is It, Director Spike Lee once again entrusted Smoke & Mirrors to handle post and VFX for his recent collaboration with ABSOLUT BROOKLYN.
"We are thrilled to once again work with such an accomplished director," noted Smoke & Mirrors CCO Sean Broughton.
The film is a tribute to Brooklyn beautifully narrated by spoken word poet/actor Lemon Andersen. The legendary director blends live-action footage of the performer strolling the borough with still images of Brooklyn's soaring bridges, endless parks, busy boardwalks, and diverse people, culture and neighborhoods.
Tasked with bringing these images to life were Lead Flame Artist Nic Seresin and Flame Artist Sam Caine. Both applied subtle and large moves to the director's well-chosen images of the borough's various neighborhoods, from Coney Island beaches to the stoops of Fort Greene and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Credits:Client: ABSOLUTSpot Title: Absolut Brooklyn TrailerAirdate: June 2010
Prod Company: 40 Acres and a MuleDirector: Spike LeeEditor: Barry Brown
Post/Effects/Grading: Smoke & Mirrors NYCCO: Sean BroughtonLead VFX Artist: Nic SeresinFlame Assistant: Sam CaineColorist: Ben EagletonProducer: Lauren Shawe
Final Color Grade: The Mill
Rapper: Lemon Andersen
About Smoke and Mirrors:Founded by Creative Director/VFX Artist Sean Broughton (NY) and CTO Mark Widig (UK), Smoke & Mirrors is a New York and London-based design, animation and VFX studio. The recent addition of a powerful grading suite delivers complete solutions for any type of project. A creative and artist-driven company synonymous with vision and originality since its inception, Smoke & Mirrors has consistently succeeded because of its collaborative approach and ability to build lasting creative relationships with directors, producers, agencies and clients alike.
Production in the New York office is led by CCO Sean Broughton, MD Jo Morgan, and Head of Production Sue Romweber. Diverse projects includes the highly challenging Beatles spot for Rockband, as well as spots for LG, Jose Cuervo, and Dove. Recent music video work includes Deadweather's Treat Me Like Your Mother and Michael Jackson's This Is It. Smoke & Mirrors has also been involved with such feature films as James Bond and Harry Potter. Each office is fully networked via complementary systems allowing the companies to share resources, expanding their local capacities. Close involvement with hardware and software manufacturers and developers has kept Smoke & Mirrors at the forefront of innovation and technology.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
