Animation World Network has begun its new series of content galleries to highlight the work being done in commercials, music videos, trailers, indents, interstitials and the like.
A great deal of animation is being done in the commercial world and Animation World Network has created its new Content Gallery to highlight the work being done in this field on a more regular basis. For many toon makers, its the commercial work that pays the bills and is also the most reasonable place to experiment with new techniques and styles. This is where AWN hopes to bring attention to the wonderful work that sometimes gets missed while flipping channels.
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Opening Cartoon/Animated Title Sequence
U.S. HBO Films discovered British animation house VooDooDog to create the opening cartoon sequence for the Palm d'Or nominated feature film, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
The title sequence was created in tandem with VooDooDog creative director Paul Donnellon, producer David Z. Obadiah and the films director Stephen Hopkins over a period of four months.
Stephen Hopkins made the radical decision to open his live-action docu-drama with a cartoon of the Peter Sellers character, based on Geoffrey Rushs performance in the film, as he bungles his way to causing mayhem and killing off his clones which sets up the theme of the film.
Numerous classic and modern techniques were used including ripping up paper and also drawing the keyframes on paper and scanning them into Apple G5s. The images were then manipulated and colored using Photoshop, Flash and combustion.
The piece is mainly 2D, but the main Peter Sellers title is 3D.
Although VooDooDog is based in London, England, there were no problems working across the Atlantic, using email and Beam TV to show progress and make changes. The final files were sent to E-Film in the U.S. and scanned onto the film negative.
The opening title sequence has since been nominated for the Quantel Title & Idents Award at the Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival 2004 in London. It is the Only Theatrical Feature Film Title sequence on the short list.
Credits:
Director: Paul DonnellonProducer: David Z. ObadiahProduction Co.: VooDooDog Ltd.
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (Feature Film)Directed: Stephen Hopkins Writers (WGA)Book: Roger LewisTeleplay: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeelyProducer: Simon Bosanquet Exec producer: Freddy De Mann, George Faber, Charles Pattinson, David M. ThompsonAssociate producers: Pilar DeMann, Juanita Diana Feeney Production companies: HBO Films (U.S.), BBC Films (U.K.)
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) in India Network Package
Continuously expanding its roster of international clients, Venice-based mOcean, has completed a network package for Sony Entertainment Television (SET) in India. The creative advertising agency was charged with providing an updated graphic package to two existing channels: SET (India), which provides Hindi family entertainment to young adults; and MAX India, a premium movie and special events channel. The new graphic package debuted in October, featuring a package that included nearly 200 elements, making it the largest network package design to date for mOcean and its award-winning team.
Sony's SET features a wide range of programming, from talk shows to movies and reality dramas, for the Hindi speaking Indian population. It reaches more than 36 million households throughout India, and is also available in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
"This package called on every skill set of our creative department," said Kevin Aratari, mOcean managing director and head of broadcast. "Storytelling, live-action, design, animation, and effects-were all incorporated, resulting in a beautiful evolving design that highlights the brand and most importantly speaks to SET and MAX viewers."
Launched in 1999, MAX provides its 32+ million with the best of Hindi Movies, events and sports, including extensive coverage of cricket, the most popular sport in India.
Tools:
AfterEffectsMayaCinema 4D
Credits:
Client: Sony Entertainment Television (India)Production & Design Company: mOcean (Venice, CA)Exec Producer: Teresa AntistaCreative directors: Earl Jenshus and Steve Kazanjian Art directors: Suzi Zimmerman and Chris WilliamsonDesigners/animators: Shane Zucker, Russ Honickan, Moses Journey & Eduardo SlesaranskyProducer: Don AndersonAccount manager: Kevin Aratari
Seed Of Chucky - Theatrical Teaser
For the upcoming feature film Seed of Chucky, Focus Features turned to CMP West, a West Los Angeles motion picture advertising company specializing in trailers and television campaigns for major releases. Since there was no footage from the movie available at the time, a concept for this sonogram baby teaser was developed under the direction of the client, Myles Bender of Rogue Pictures and Richard Redfield of CMP West.
The CMP West graphic animation team of Greg Taylor and Marcelo Dos Santos created the 3D baby using Maya and AfterEffects. After purchasing a 3D baby model and determining it wasnt convincing enough, they created their own baby from scratch, along with a snarling Chucky face. The process took approximately four weeks, with much of the time spent getting lifelike body parts and convincing movements.
This teaser trailer, currently getting a very positive audience response in theatres, is the first advertising piece for Seed of Chucky, and will be followed up by a full trailer with feature footage and multiple television spots, all being created by CMP West for Rogue Pictures.
Tools:
Maya V.5Adobe After Effects V.5.5
Credits:
Creative director: Myles Bender Focus FeaturesProducer: Richard Redfield CMP WestGraphic designer: Greg TaylorModeler: Marcelo Dos SantosEditor: Scott GoldmanWriters: Myles Bender Focus Features; Sanderson Dean
Adventures of Gus n' Inky
Pileated Pictures produced the Adventures of Gus n' Inky in collaboration with their clients the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and writers Christopher Cerf and Norman Stiles, longtime Emmy Award-winning writers for the Sesame Street and The Childrens Television Workshop.
The Gus n' Inky series of online animated learning games features Gus the Bunny and Inky the Octopus. Gus the Bunny is a recurring character on the PBS childrens series, Between the Lions, a series co-created by Cerf and Stiles. The Gus character is always battling with a lack of confidence in his learning skills, and is encouraged throughout by his pal Inky.
One challenge of the Gus n' Inky series was to animate a character seen, up until then, only in puppet-form. Another was to create mini-learning games, which would be both entertaining, and keyed into elemental learning principles at the same time. This process involved working with experts in early childhood education and literacy to determine the appropriate language-oriented building blocks to be highlighting within each game. The art took on even more importance, considering they had to be images, which would easily enable the cognitive process, even for audiences as young as three and four years old.
Tools:
Macromedia Flash
Credits:
Director: Michael E. LevineWriters: Jeff Yerkes, Michael E. Levine, Chris Cerf, Norman StilesAnimators: Chris Georgenes, Kyle Balda, Anne-Laure-ToProgrammer: Ed OConnell
More stuff we don't know anything about: French Cooking
Thunderbean Animation created this commercial spot. The "More stuff we don't know anything about" campaign is an ongoing series of 30-second lawyer marketing spots, each describing a different subject that the particular clients know nothing about. The theme of this one is "French Cooking." The spots are currently being broadcast in three markets across the U.S.
Tools:
Photoshop Premiere Pro Pen & Ink and Prismacolor on paper
Credits:
Director: David Chai & Steve StanchfieldClient: The Lawyer Marketing GuyProduction Crew: David Chai, Steve Stanchfield, Drew Pierce, Joe Stucky, Ashley Long, Jodie Hudson, Nancy Bailey, Janelle Gonyea Voice over: Darrin Brege Currently, AWNs Content Gallery will be a bi-monthly or seasonal item, depending on the amount of content received. If youd like more information about submitting work for possible inclusion in the next Gallery than e-mail managing editor Rick DeMott at rick@awn.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
