Absolute Helps Motorola XOOM Kick off for Super Bowl XLV

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgPress Release from Absolute

It's become apparent that a certain electronics manufacturer once revered for its open and independent approach to technology has become the bland establishment it once rallied against. Motorola is making an effort to add some color to this white-washed world with the debut of their new XOOM tablet, a powerful little machine that is cleverly introduced via Smuggler Director Randy Krallman and Anomaly in a :60 which aired during Sunday's Super Bowl XLV.

Empower the People opens on an austere, double-decker subway platform, where armies of identically white-caped (and, um, coincidentally, white headphone-wearing) drones move in dead-eyed unison onto the arriving train amid an engaging symphony (Amber Composer Biggi Hillmarsson). One XOOM-rocking, stylish rebel stands out, tellingly paging through the chapters of Orwell's 1984 on his tablet as he bobs around the crowd.

Upon exiting the train, he looks up a florist on a dynamically moving city map, ostensibly for a fair-faced drone that we later see working in an adjacent office cubicle. He then captures a photo of the flowers with his XOOM and incorporates that image into an animated stick-figure bouquet exchange between two grinning characters (animated by Absolute's design arm Blind Pig), which he places in front of the girl. Life flows through her; the vapid trance flees her eyes and she slowly, deliberately removes the headphones from them as she stands. The wordless spot ends with the man grinning joyously.

"Motorola's Super Bowl spot makes clever reference to 1984 depicting one individual with the courage and independence of thought to battle the masses - we had to ensure this was depicted throughout the entire spot," noted Absolute Lead VFX Artist Dirk Greene. "There was barely a frame that didn't require some kind of post and our deadline was tight, but we have the best crew around and we pulled this one out with time to spare."

Absolute ripped through the post work - which included crowd duplication, clean-up to remove signs from the subway station, creating and modeling a CG tablet, populating the XOOM's screen with key story elements, and, finally, making the girl's face blush when the tablet gift awakens her - in approximately one week's time.

"This was an awesome opportunity to work with two of the top names in commercial production today," stated Absolute EP Sally Heath. "Anomaly is a truly innovative agency, and Randy (Krallman) has an exceptional understanding of how to shoot with postproduction needs in mind, considerably streamlining the entire process."

Credits:
Client: Motorola
Spot Title: Empower the People
Air Date: Super Bowl 2011

Agency: Anomaly
ECD/Partner: Mike Byrne
CD/Partner: Richard Mulder
AD: Grant Mason
Copy: Jessica Ghersi-Hecht
EP/Head of Production: Andrew Loevenguth
Brand Director: Laura Aldington
Account Director: Keith Barry

Prod Co: Smuggler
Director: Randy Krallman
EP(s): Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody, Lisa Rich, Allison Kunzman, Laura Thoel
Producer: Cory Berg
Production Manager: Rogers Marquess

Editorial Co: Beast NY
Editor: Lucas Eskin

Post/Effects Co: Absolute Post
Lead VFX/Inferno Artist: Dirk Greene
VFX Supervisor: David Smith
VFX Artist(s): Betty Cameron, Aniello Zampella, Asuka Otake, Krissy Nordella
Lead CG Artist: Ivan Guerrero
EP: Sally Heath
Producer: John Skeffington

Telecine Co: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole
Producer: Marie de Leon

Music Co: Amber
Track: "Biggi's Waltz"
Composer: Biggi Hillmarsson
EP: Michelle Curran

Audio Post Co: audioEngine
Mixer: Tommy Goldblatt
EP: Sharon DiTullio-Tepper

Shoot Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

About Absolute:
Founded in 2004 by David Smith, one of the world's leading Flame artists, Absolute is a high-end VFX studio working within the commercial, emerging media, music video, and film communities. With offices in New York and London, Absolute over the years has collected numerous industry accolades including two BTAA awards, a D&AD pencil, a Cannes Lion, an APA Collection Diamond, three Andy wins and an MTV video statue. The New York office opened in 2007, helmed by CD Dirk Greene, to further facilitate Absolute's international client roster with a growing Flame and CG service.