Animation World
Magazine, Issue 3.4, July 1998
Commercials
Spotlight.
Wondering who does the visual effects for those Chihuahua trend-inducing
Taco Bell commercials? The spots' talking dog is filmed in live-action
then manipulated with animation by Michael Killen at Los Angeles-based
Post Logic Studios, using Discreet Logic's Inferno software on an
SGI Onyx. . . . Palo Alto, California-based Pacific Data Images (PDI)
created a computer-animated spot for Gatorade called Frost: Who's Bad
Now! The spot depicts a fire-breathing mechanized beast chasing a live-action
runner who is saved when he steps into the Gatorade Frost "world."
PDI's proprietary software was used by animation director Cliff Boulé,
character animator Adam Valdez, effects animator/modeler Krysztof Rostek
and assistant animator Chanda Cummings. . . .
 |
| A Cartoon Network promo by Renegade Animation.
© Cartoon Network. |
Burbank, California-based Renegade Animation
created animated 60, 30 and 15-second spots for Cartoon Network's "Get
Tooned Sweepstakes" promotion. Daffy Duck serves as narrator for the
spots which aired in May. The director was Darrell Van Citters and the
animator was Ken McDonald. . . . London-based Bolexbrothers (The
Saint Inspector) created a spot for Coca-Cola's Nestea called Kwiki-Mart,
in which a skeleton enters a convenience store, and turns into a snowman
after drinking the cool beverage. Director Dave Borthwick utilized stop-motion
animation with computer animation effects. . . . London-based Aka Pizazz
created a 30-second spot called Martians for Swedish agency Observa
Grey's client, Yes washing liquid, in which aliens come to earth and discover
the product, only to be so impressed, they return to their planet with
hundreds of bottles. Director Marc Craste used Animo for 2-D animation
with added CGI effects. . . . Aka Pizazz also created a 30-second
commercial currently airing in South Africa, called Sledgehammer.
The 3-D stop-motion spot for Dispirin aspirin pays homage to the animated
Peter Gabriel music video of the same name. The director was Steven Harding
Hill. . . . Lastly, Aka Pizazz director Philip Hunt (Ah Pook
is Here) directed the first of three spots for mobile phone operators,
Orange. Hunt's thumb-nail line animation of a stick figure was enlarged
and made into replacement cut-out figures, which were animated against
blue screen and composited into collage environments with a Henry system.
The second Orange spot is being directed by Marc Craste and the third by
Dominic Griffiths, all at aka Pizazz. . . . Another London-based studio,
Passion Pictures, created three 30-second spots for Gardenburger,
based on painterly, 2-D art by children's book illustrator Dan Yaccarino.
Director Alyson Hamilton's background includes a recent stint as lead character
animator on Warner Bros. feature, Quest for Camelot.. . . . Hollywood,
California-based Acme Filmworks created a 30-second promo spot for
The Tex Avery Show on Cartoon Network. Director Ashley Lenz used
traditional character animation composited with added grain and some original
background footage from Tex Avery cartoons to achieve a seamless result.
Digital ink and paint was done at Virtual Magic. . . . Santa Maria, California-based
Computer Café created a computer-animated commercial for
the New Organics Company, featuring a computer-animated ladybug interacting
with live-action. Ron Honn served as animation director, David Ebner as
technical director/animator and Oliver Hotz as lead animator. . . .
 |
| Computer Café's Ladybug commercial
for New Organics Company. Image courtesy of Computer Café. |
New York City-based AMPnyc is producing three,
five-second station ids for Primestar Satellite Television, using three
distinct animation styles: water colors, full character animation and a
"children's storybook" look. . . . Also in New York, Curious
Pictures director Joan Raspo created a 30-second spot for Kellogg's
Smart Start cereal called Seize the Day. The spot combines animated
type and graphics atop live-action photography of the product. . . . Another
recent typography commercial by Curious Pictures is What's Missing,
a 60-second spot for Showtime Networks which also incorporates animated
graphics, all directed by Denis Morella. . . . New York City-based Brian
Diecks Design created a promo spot called The Xtreme Experience
for ESPN, using 3-D wireframe animation and 2-D animated type. . . . Boston-Massachusetts-based
Loconte Goldman Design created a package of bumpers for the History
Channel's new five-part series, Dream Machines. The spots directed
by Arne Jensen and animated by Erica Neiges, combine live-action photography
with animated effects. . . . Toronto, Canada-based Spin Productions
created two, 30-second computer animated commercials for Cadbury Chocolates,
using Alias/Wavefront's Maya software. . . .
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World
Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.
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