JUICY, a new spot for ABCs DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, directed by acclaimed fashion photographer and director Matthew Rolston, is set in a surrealist environment that combines the theme of forbidden fruit specifically apples and the drama inherent in each of the main characters lives. Santa Monica -based digital studio, STEELE, handled a number of post duties, including editorial, photoreal CG environments and animation, compositing, beauty, visual effects and online.
According to Rolston, surrealist art (think Magritte and Dali), installation art and dream imagery were the jumping off points conceptually for the spot, based on the networks creative brief. Execution included production values and glossy finish of high-end cosmetic commercials and music videos. The client specifically asked for the creation of a heightened reality, Rolston said. He and the network explored many avenues in order to achieve this, including stylized sets, rigorous color design, beauty-type lighting, choreography and, of course, visual effects.
My work with STEELE over the years has always been collaborative; its a team approach, Rolston explained. The studios entire staff worked closely with Rolston, who enjoyed a particularly close collaboration with STEELE exec producer/visual effects supervisor Brian Adler and president/supervising visual effects artist Jerry Steele.
Its always such a pleasure to work with Matthew, and especially in this case, because he inspired us to think like painters, said Steele. Matthew not only communicates what hes visualizing, but also embraces our own creative input and allows us to interpret and develop that vision. Hes a perfectionist, and were proud to be a part of his team. Over the years, weve developed a short-hand that was vital to succeeding on a job with so much detail and complexity in just five days.
Adler describes the spot as a visual blend of symmetry and chaos. The practical sets are very symmetrical, featuring straight lines and geometric shapes, all shot in deep focus. Thematically, our task in post was to create the elements of disorder which juxtapose the balance that was filmed in-camera.
The promo opens with Susan (Teri Hatcher) strutting down a perfectly manicured lane representing the shows pristine suburban setting, as apples temptation rain down around her. She moves into a sparse kitchen façade and opens the refrigerator, only to be bombarded by more apples. Sliding into an embrace with her romantic interest, Mike (James Denton), Hatcher offers a quick glance to camera, mouthing the lyric juicy in synch with the accompanying soundtrack. The succeeding vignettes follow similar lines: Bree (Marcia Cross) draws blood from an apple, as blue skies turn stormy; Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) bathes in a tub of apples, disturbed by the sight of her troubled husband Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) looking on from behind a window that transforms into prison bars; Lynette (Felicity Huffman) juggles apples as her husband Tom (Doug Savant) a baby in his arms tosses her a briefcase, which she deftly catches; and Edie (Nicolette Sheridan), admiring her own visage in a standing mirror, cant help but snatch the forbidden fruit from the vine.
The entire spot was enhanced digitally, after every live-action element was filmed against bluescreen. An arsenal of visual techniques was utilized, from in-camera forced perspective and model miniatures to totally CGI fluids and photorealistic objects interacting with live-action sets and talent. This led to an enormous undertaking by STEELEs compositing team, led by Steele who, along with Dave Neuberger, used Quantels EQ to combine the multiple layers and transitional elements. In addition to heavy compositing, Monique Eissing did beauty work and built set extensions in the Henry. The photorealistic apples were mostly created in LightWave by lead CG artist Jason Shulman, while the remainder of the fruit and all of the time-lapse skies were created in Maya by CG artist Michael White.
The creation of totally realistic looking CGI apples, with lighting, texture and shadows, was particularly successful, Rolston said. Its hard to tell the difference between the practical elements and the CGI creations. On an aesthetic level, the stylized time-lapse skies were beautifully rendered.
STEELE (www.steelevfx.com) is a Santa Monica, California-based digital studio.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
