Boston-based Viewpoint Studios produced the theatrical, television and radio advertising campaigns for Discovery Channel’s newest special presentation, NEFERTITI RESURRECTED, which premieres August 17, 2003 at 8:00 pm, with rebroadcasts Aug. 18 at 12:00 and 3:00 am plus Aug. 24 at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.
The Viewpoint Studios’ creative team adopted two promotional approaches. One was designed to tell Queen Nefertiti’s story of love, power and betrayal. The other takes a look at how forensic science has brought this fascinating queen back to life. Both involve complex live-action shoots, intricate special effects, extensive editorial and elegant design.
The first, SPIRIT, features a beautiful woman glimpsed through sheer cloth and extreme close-ups carefully interwoven with matching shots of a recreated bust of Nefertiti. Creative director, design, Joseph Kiely explains, “As the piece progresses, we use the contrast of the living queen and the defacement of a mummy to shock the viewer into a false sense of beauty and power that is then torn away and destroyed.”
Viewpoint Studios’ flame artist, Dave DiNisco added, “We walked the fine line between exposing the beauty, power and danger that Nefertiti possessed without revealing too much of the “Queen” herself. This is an inherent problem with using and shooting ‘recreation’ footage. Using a combination of shooting styles and overlaying composites of the actress and headpiece, we were able to evoke the emotion without revealing too much of the actress’ identity.”
The second approach, MUSEUM, features a bust of Nefertiti inside a darkened museum at night. The room begins to tremble as spirit forms rise up and begin to swirl around the bust. Kiely continues, “Simple, iconic and impactful, the spot climaxes as her eye snaps open pushing away the remaining pieces of the bust. As the bust falls into ruin, the living queen is revealed beneath.”
DiNisco adds, “‘MUSEUM had some interesting challenges of its own including the need to work in high resolution for the theatrical release. To meet the client’s tight deadline, we teamed up with RhinoFX in New York. We used three different live-action models of Nefertiti’s bust shot in a variety of conditions including clean, cracked and in pieces. After filming they were then scanned and realistically texture mapped for use in CGI.
“This was a very exciting project to be a part of,” added Viewpoint Studios’ exec producer, Dave Shilale, “not only because it showcases a truly amazing archeological discovery, but from a creative standpoint as well. From concept development, to complex shoot, to the addition of massive special effects, great editorial and elegant design, it’s the kind of project you like to get your hands around.”
The NEFERTITI RESURRECTED campaign is airing on the Discovery Channel and other cable networks, as well as in more than 2,000 theaters nationwide. Most recently, Viewpoint Studios created a promotional campaign for Discovery’s UNSOLVED HISTORY, which won a BDA Gold Award.
Viewpoint Studios (
www.viewpointstudios.com ) is an award-winning creative services agency providing clients solutions to all their marketing needs through the integration of design, promotion and advertising. Clients include ABC, Court TV, Discovery Networks, Disney, DIY, ESPN Networks, FX, HBO, HGTV, PBS, Showtime, Cinemax, DIRECTV, SCI FI, The History Channel, TLC, The Travel Channel as well as broadcast groups and TV stations worldwide.
The Viewpoint creative team was lead by creative director Michael Middaleer. Tom Bik was designer/art director. David So and Ryan Gillespie were 3D animators while Udi Edni served as a flame artist with DiNisco. Los Angeles crew included exec producer Molly Hintlian and editor Kirk Smith. Mary Clare Baquet is the exec director of on-air creative for Discovery Channel.
