TOPIX/Mad Dog animates Stick People

TOPIX/Mad Dog has completed the animation for "Stick People," a :30 spot,
with a :15 lift. The colorful, playful spot, which promotes Crayola Color
Wipeoffs, removable water-based magic markers, for TBWA/Chiat Day (Toronto,
ON) and Binney & Smith Canada (Markham, ON), rolled out throughout Canada
March 15th and will continue to air through the end of the year. In it, a
boy's stick figure drawings come to life. "With Photoshop I drew the
figures, frame by frame, so that it's a bit like cel animation, but not
quite," explained TOPIX/Mad Dog Director of Animation/Animator Fay
Grambart. "Once the figures were drawn, I rendered them in 3D Studio Max."
Patrick Coffey composited, integrated the live-action and animation, added
shadows where appropriate, and created the transition wipe from the story
to the product shot. The live-action was lensed by MAXX Films (Toronto, ON)
with director Larry August, Executive Producer Harve Sherman, and Producer
J.J. Lyons participating. The offline editorial was handled by David Hicks
of Panic & Bob (Toronto, ON). David Fleury of David Fleury Music (Toronto,
ON) created the musical underscore, sound design and also engineered the
spot at Manta/Eastern Sound (Toronto, ON).