Pixeldust Helps NOVA Crack the Genetic Code

Press Release from Pixeldust Studios:

Bethesda, MD -- Pixeldust Studios [1], an Emmy Award-winning digital animation and visual design company with studios in the Metro D.C. area and New York City, has produced eight minutes of original animation sequences which will be featured within a one-hour special episode of the NOVA series, Cracking Your Genetic Code [2].  Set to air on March 28th, this PBS special examines the medical benefits and moral dilemmas posed by new technologies that decipher and analyze an individual’s genetic makeup.

Pixeldust Studios produced original animations depicting the workings of DNA strands, genes, chromosomes and cells within the human body for the Cracking Your Genetic Code presentation. The company also animated sequences depicting how the introduction of drugs into the human body binds those drugs with certain proteins in the bloodstream, in efforts to help battle against a variety of illnesses.

Sarah Holt, Producer for NOVA/PBS & Holt Productions, said, “Pixeldust did an amazing job coming up with creative ways to visualize the human genome. Their animators skillfully took the audience inside a human cell, past human chromosomes, and into DNA that is coiled inside the nucleus. The animation was sophisticated and artistically gorgeous to look at, but also helped the audience grasp difficult concepts in genomics. The Pixeldust team labored to ensure the accuracy of the scientific details, and dealt gracefully with last minute narration changes. They are a wonderful group, and a joy to work with.”

Ricardo Andrade, Founder/Executive Creative Director of Pixeldust Studios said, “Our goal with these animations was to present a highly futuristic yet contemporary style for the depiction of the medical information this NOVA  episode was presenting. To give our work a more organic look and feel, we used warm colors for the internal cells and organic tissue of the human body. This warm and bright color palette was contrasted with a shiny and reflective bluish palette for illustrating the medicine and DNA strands. While we always kept an eye on medical accuracy, we allowed ourselves a good bit of artistic liberty with our lighting, shading and 3D modeling along the way.”

Adds Tim Mrozek, Pixeldust Studios’ Lead Animator on this project, “To best prepare ourselves before producing our animations, we consulted with a noted cell biologist to ensure that our representations of DNA strands, genes, cells and chromosomes would be medically accurate. Our work within this show was also presented at multiple levels of magnifications, often moving from cells to chromosomes to DNA strands, so our animation team used microscopic imagery as source material behind the organic modeling of our creations. We also used a proprietary plug-in to help us portray molecules that had been previously scanned as guide material. Our Senior Designer Harry Castleton worked closely with me on this unique and challenging assignment.”