Chicago-based SOMERsault has recently completed a 30-second spot for Busch Gardens/Sea World. In the spot, the word "fun" is spelled out in a zebra's stripes and a group of dolphins swim into place to spell out the word "card." Using inferno*, SOMERsaults senior effects artist, John Montgomery duplicated footage of two dolphins into twelve dolphins, then rotated, warped and animated the dolphins into position. Additional shading and water effects were added to smooth out the appearance. Senior graphic artist Greg Huber tracked the zebra's movement through the shot then used paint functions in inferno* to create the lettering. Additional fur textures were then layered, warped and blended. Sally Gorney created elements for the commercial's "jumbo-tron display" in After Effects. In addition, Montgomery completed several other visual effects in inferno* including realistic cloud formations, fireworks and a text formation within a roller-coaster track. Montgomery said, "One of the nice things about the job was the collaboration between the artists here. From the inferno* to After Effects on the Macintosh we were all able to bring something extra to the job. The fact the editorial was done in-house was an added bonus because we could work along side the editor and be closely involved from start to finish."
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
