Ro Rao: Nike Women

Curious Pictures’ Ro Rao created an ambitious series of shorts for Nike Women’s “Be Transformed” campaign running in the Asia/Pacific region, masterminded by digital agency AKQA:

• Jump Rope
• Meteor
• Punching Bag
• Bike

The series employs two distinct styles. For “Meteor,” “Punching Bag,” and “Bike,” Ro worked with Tampa-based Humoring The Fates to create anime mini-epics. To create the 3D neo-psychedlia of “Jump Rope,” Ro teamed up with Zoink Animation in Sweden.

In addition to jumping between the two styles of the athletes’ transformations, Ro did a great job developing a look for the live action. It’s polished stuff that feels like a departure from his Ro’s portfolilo to date, which is mostly a lo-fi blend of kitch and comedy. (You might remember this viral smash-hit he co-directed with Abraham Spear.)

I’m curious to see where Ro goes from here. (Ha! “Curious.” Curious Pictures. Get it? Okay, sorry.)

Renascent: Killzone 2

Renascent creates titles for Guerrilla Games’ Killzone 2

Psyop’s Inferno

“The Divine Comedy,” written by Dante Alighieri in the 14th century, is an allegorical vision of the christian afterlife, depicting a journey through the three realms of the dead. This is a big story.

So, as modern, classy people, we remake it into a video game.

With Psyop at the helm, EA’s “Dante’s Inferno” game trailer captured the imagination of the 13 year old boy inside of me (note to audience: I am not a boy). Knowing that fact says something about the impression this trailer has on someone that loves the original story, but hates video games.

“Inferno” is distinguishably different from most game trailers. Psyop’s spin takes us to an organic place that the 3D game trailer genre has seldom gone before. It’s got the elements of being a cheese-ball 3D showpiece: a glow-y woman, a beefed up man in armor grunting.

But “Inferno” could care less about being a glossy 3D trailer, and more about rendering Hell with all its might—slovenly liquefied flames, orifice-shaped monstrosities tearing through the blurry mess of a rotting flesh landscape. It’s poetic and sick. We’re in hell, and I love it.

Read our interview with the creators at Psyop behind “Dante’s Inferno” game trailer.

UPDATE: Psyop has graciously shared their storyboards and some concept development imagery with us.

Frito Lay: Made for Each Other

More videos added to the Frito Lay Made for Each Other campaign (Thanks, Tyler!)

Chandler Owen

Chandler Owen launches a new site with some nice design work!

NYTimes on Title Sequences

NYTimes on title sequences (Thanks. Chino)

New Site from Rafael Macho

A very Macho new site from Rafael.