Keeping Up with Autofuss

Ever since releasing their first in-house short in 2008, Katelyn, the crew at Autofuss has been toiling diligently in their San Francisco offices, building a body of work that thoughftuly blends live action and CG. In this post, we review their latest output and get some behind-the-scenes goodness after the jump.

Halo: Remember Reach

Autofuss’ latest effort, a collaboration with agency AKQA, is an interactive installation promoting the newest entry in Microsoft’s Halo franchise.

Autofuss puts it nicely:

Visitors [to the Halo Reach website] were able to remotely control the robot by assigning their name to one of 64,000 points of light. The robot would then proceed to physically plot the light in a studio space in San Francisco. Through long exposure videography, a 3D monument of light depicting the game heroes emerged.

It’s one of those intriguing ideas that hinges entirely on execution. What I like about the end product is the way it presents the robotic arm and the light sculptures on equal footing. Both are the focal points, and yet one never upstages the other. Technology making art—and vice versa.

For Autofuss, the project signals a definitive entry into the world of interactive design, one that is increasingly becoming a second home to many motion design firms.

For more making of info on Halo Reach, read Machima’s excellent article.

University of Phoenix

Autofuss has been steadily releasing an elegant series of spots for the University of Phoenix and agency Pereira & O’Dell. The first spot, “Thought Leadership,” presents an abstracted world of architecture and typography populated by University of Phoenix students going about the business of learning.

Still from “Thought Leadership”

The newest two spots, “Quality” and “Access” add new dimensionality and richness to the universe of “Thought Leadership.” We had a chance to chat with Autofuss about the spots, and they generously shared some making-of goodies (after the jump).

Still from “Quality.” Note the increased dimensionality compared to “Thought Leadership.”

Making-of details and imagery after the jump

Alex Roman: Silestone “Above Everything Else”

When we first shared Alex Roman’s The Third&Seventh over a year ago, everyone was stunned by the photorealism of his CG worlds. With his latest commercial work, a spot for Grupo Cosentino’s Silestone brand countertops, Roman once again shows his passion for cinematography, lighting and texture.

Although this spot is 100% CG, the beauty of the shots distract the viewer from this amazing fact. Each composition is elegantly balanced: light counterweights dark, chaos challenges order. The sparse soundtrack creates a sense of lightness and wonder, and we are invited into a world that seems so real, so tangible, that we fully accept the glass-like shattering of grapes and peppers.

It almost doesn’t matter that the spot is purely digital. Sure, it’s an eyebrow-raising footnote, but Roman is simply using the tools he knows best to tell his story. He just happens to be pushing the envelope of commercial CG production while he’s doing it.

Ralph Lauren Gets in the Projection Game

Architecture, fashion and CG collide in this projection on Ralph Lauren’s London flagship store.

Clemens Habicht – UKTV “Watch When Things Come Together”

Remember the Matrix Ping Pong meme of 2003? The kuroko stagehands of kabuki/bunraku Japanese theater helped two seemingly normal dudes defy physics and bend time for epic ping-pong-ery (and internet delight). Matrix Food Fight and many other clips found online originated on the TV show Kasou Taishou. I highly recommend checking out the highlight reel.

When working with such an eye-catching technique, how do you amp things up to the next level? I was impressed by the attention to detail in these UKTV idents directed by Clemens Habicht (who played with black costume in-camera fun on the lively Friendly Fires ‘Skeleton Boy’ music video). The steadicam takes you in much closer to the action than the usually distant stage-framing. The real physics in reverse (e.g., flying table settings, a purse emptying, frisbees returning home) mixes eerily with the supernatural stage-hand assisted action. There’s a ton of elements in play, but the choreography makes everything seem very natural as the scene almost melts into itself.

Clemens has provided production photos and a clip from their rehearsal. The rehearsal clip in particular deserves a watch and re-watch. Check it all out here.

BUF: VFX for Enter The Void

Gaspar Noé’s new film, Enter The Void, “will kick you in the balls”, as a colleague of mine put it. It’s a psychedelic visual ride that borders on inducing seizures; take the title sequence as a brief example of what I’m talking about. Most of the film’s effects came from the work of French visual effects studio, BUF, who also produced the film. Taking on almost 350 of the films shots over the course of 2 years, BUF added to and even rebuilt many shots to complete the spiritual and hallucinogenic vision of Gaspar Noé.

Check it

Maxim Zhestkov for MTV Australia

Maxim Zhestkov for MTV Australia.

onedotzero_adventures in motion Kicks Off

onedotzero_adventures in motion kicks off today and runs until Nov 14.