files/pictures/picture-35.jpgPress Release from Brand New School
LOS ANGELES, CA. - The artists and producers from international production company and design studio Brand New School (BNS,
www.BrandNewSchool.com ) are very proud to announce the delivery of their latest work for FUEL TV (
www.fuel.tv ), the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them.
The relationship between BNS and FUEL TV began in 2003 before the network's launch, when BNS founder, executive creative director and director Jonathan Notaro and his colleagues collaborated with FUEL TV to design and produce the network's original broadcast identity package. Also tasked with delivering a set of network IDs, BNS suggested that the network introduce a "Free Form Film Festival," where every ID is unique instead of following channel-wide guidelines. This anti-brand approach BNS proposed involved using 10 IDs with tones ranging from comedic to contemplative to musical, and with techniques ranging from film to stop-motion to CG. BNS produced the very first FUEL TV IDs, and since then, the network has commissioned dozens of iterations in tandem with other design studios and artists, and FUEL TV's world-acclaimed IDs have earned countless awards.
"Obviously, we were already very familiar with the brand," Notaro said, "so when asked how we felt the network should evolve, we decided to approach it as a 'rethink' instead of a 'refresh' or a 'redesign': We kept some of the strategies, but took the visual language from the paint, ink and doodle elements of the 2003 package into the digital realm. Now the whole visual language is about video making and remixing. I'm amazed by how far we were allowed to take the graphics package, which is a real testament to FUEL's commitment to their visually literate target audience."
The concept for the broadcast graphics was essentially to create a machine that would generate new artworks from all the fantastic FUEL TV station IDs artists from all over the world have helped to create, and to treat that video stylistically. Internally referring to the technique as "datamoshing," the BNS artists designed their own visual language.
Just as the art's initial visual inspiration comes from digital compression visible on web videos, the graphic design and typography follows the crudeness of HTML type and MySpace layouts. For competition-related content, additional design elements favor black-and-white line drawings and graphics over the colorful pixel paintings of the rest of the package.
As they did in 2003, BNS artists then conceived and wrote the latest IDs themselves. "We couldn’t wish for more open-minded and inspiring clients than the creative team at FUEL TV," Notaro acknowledged. "Their feedback definitely helped us shape our ideas and make them better." BNS has already delivered the first round of new IDs. Here are details on the IDs which have so far debuted on the network; more IDs representing BNS talents on both U.S. coasts are set to follow over the weeks ahead.
"Catalyst" and "Surrealist Dollhouse": Two :30s written and directed by Jonathan Notaro.
"Board Breakers Anonymous": A multi-part entry directed by Jens Gehlhaar based on a concept by Sean Sahlin, consisting of "Safe Place" :60, written by Sahlin, "Babies" :30 and "Focus" :30, written by Bucky Fukumoto and "PSA" :30, written by Todd Dever and Craig Houchin. Shot on location, this series stars Clint Peterson, Garreth Stehr and Benny Fairfax, Duane Peters, and Chris Pastras as troubled pro skaters, and punk legend Jack Grisham as their counselor.
Working with director of photography Pat Notaro, each BNS director employed the RED Digital Cinema Camera for the live-action components of their projects, and shot in 2K resolution on their respective locations before beginning post-production. For HD design and finishing of the IDs, primary artistic tools for the BNS artists in Santa Monica and New York have included Adobe Creative Suite, and Autodesk Maya and Flame. Additional details on each new ID, as well as complete project credits, are available upon request.
The newest FUEL TV content can be viewed online at
www.vimeo.com/FUELTV .
About Brand New School
With offices in New York, Los Angeles and London, Brand New School is a vertically integrated production company and design studio that delivers extraordinary media on all platforms. Offering a new model for creative digital production, we are filmmakers, developers, designers, animators, editors, illustrators, and producers dedicated to driving communications to new heights. Akin to leading academic institutions, our guiding philosophies prize experimentation and learning, and our commitment to discovering the best ideas for our clients is absolute. For more information, please visit
www.BrandNewSchool.com .
About FUEL TV
FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes and can be accessed by broadband, mobile devices and other digital platforms such as iTunes(R). FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit
www.fuel.tv .
