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Interview: Chatting with The Action Cats



Blacklist Represents for FUSE


Blacklist just dropped this solid and slightly odd batch of promos for FUSE’s “Music Is” campaign from Brooklyn Brothers. Each piece was undertaken by a different member of Blacklist’s powerhouse directing roster.

These engaging, whimsical tales remind us of the power music has and the wonderful places it can take you. They are a testament to the impact you can make when you’ve got relatively simple visuals combined with a great script/idea and the perfect music.

Check ‘em out:

Soul Mates by FriendsWithYou
Therapy by Cisma
Balloon by Pistachios
Time Travel by Nanospore
Adrenaline by David Lobser
Joy by Holbrooks

Credits

Favorite Color: “Back Nine at Cherry Hills”

Favorite Color recently crafted the main titles for the HBO documentary, “Back Nine at Cherry Hills: The Legends of the 1960 U.S. Open,” which chronicles the momentous gathering of Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer at the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open.

I’m not a golf fan, but this project piqued my interest in the film. The mix of footage, stills and CG make for beautiful visuals, while the editing, voiceover and elegant typography provide a dramatic undercurrent that’s subtle yet effective. The lighting effects, while familiar, are motivated by an attempt to blend nostalgic sepia-tinted memories with the ever-present sun of the golf course.

The music adds another layer of classiness to the spot. The gestalt is timeless and sophisticated, a reflection of golf’s best image and a spot-on job for HBO.

Credits

Feel Good Anyway Reel 08 & Update

After quite a lot of umm-ing and arr-ing, I decided to upgrade this nugget of news from the Quickies.

The work on show is extremely subjective, and just like Marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it! I’m posting this is because it’s a good example to all the aspiring motion graphic designers of doing things differently, of trying to steer away from the well-beaten path of logo resolve after logo resolve. Luckily, the people at FGA also have a great sense of design to back up their reel, rather than relying just on novelty.

Semiconductor Films

Semiconductor Films
Semiconductor Films (Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt) have been creating their Sound Films and Live Animations for almost ten years now (long before folks were making skylines hop like EQ’s). Despite this, they have slipped below some people’s radar as they seem to float above a traditional category or scene. Their fascinating work is a hybrid of real world imagery and the invisible, latent forces that are infused in the everyday. They approach sound as a tangible, sculptural object.

“Semiconductor make moving image works which reveal our physical world in flux; cities in motion, shifting landscapes and systems in chaos. [They] work with digital animation to transcend the constraints of time, scale and natural forces; they explore the world beyond human experience, questioning our very existence.” (Semiconductor’s site)

Those of you in the UK may have caught one of their more recent films, Magnetic Movie, on Channel 4 as a part of their running Animate Projects. The film consists of footage shot during their five month fellowship at NASA’s Space Sciences Laboratories, recordings of space scientists at UC Berkley describing their discoveries, actual VLF audio recordings and Semiconductors visualizations of these descriptions. Take a few minutes out of your day and learn about fleeting electrons.

Their current project, Brilliant Noise, is on tour now.

Samsung “Drag & Drop World”

A nice little stop-motion viral to get your Monday started right. The project was conceived by The Viral Factory to promote the Samsung F480s drag-and-drop interface, and unlike most virals, it actually relates in a meaningful way to the product it promotes.

I find it a little funny that the term “viral” is hanging on. I guess it still functions as a descriptor of production value and writing style. If someone said to me, “I want a commercial about a squirrel piloting a rocket to Mars,” I’d imagine a CG extravaganza directed by Michael Bay. But if they said, “I want a viral about a squirrel piloting a rocket to Mars,” I’d imagine sock puppets shot on a HandyCam. I’d also imagine a smaller budget and far, far fewer explosions.

Thanks for the tip, Jim!

Digital Kitchen: Seattle International Film Festival

Like their recent project for the Webbys, DK’s work for the Seattle International Film Festival is varied in style and tone. Each of the four videos they’ve put online builds on a simple concept bolstered by just the right level of panache.

The trailer cleverly inserts the “New” icon into films featured at SIFF. As is often the case in DK’s work, the dance between editing and music is beautifully choreographed. They also did a bang-up job integrating the logo into existing footage. (The guy in the rabbit suit was a memorable moment.)

The other three bumpers metaphorically break down the process of creation as Incubate, Grow and Done. I can’t pick a favorite, but I love the way that the sticker graphic is presented in each. DK knows how to have fun, and thankfully SIFF and agency WongDoody let them cut loose on this project.

Comcast “Rabbit”

The script for “Rabbit,” a new Comcast advert directed by Biscuit Filmworks’ Noam Murro, would probably work as a radio spot. But the visuals add such an enjoyable level of absurdity that it’s hard to imagine it without them.

I like that the character animation is a cross between realism and cartoonish exaggeration. The rabbit’s over-sized eyes and over-the-top facial expressions add a touch of zaniness that counteracts the bravado of the voiceover.

Noam Murro seems to have a penchant for this sort of deadpan absurdity. His recent Sears spot and the celebrated Hummer “Monster” advert both present the unreal as the ordinary.

That’s not to say he’s incapable of straight-up weirdness. Murro’s magic lies in his ability to make the unbelievable not believable, but likable. That’s a refreshing change from the usual approach taken by vfx-centric spots that strive for ever higher levels of hyper-realism.

Oh, and get a load of the credits for this one. Animal Logic, Brickyard VFX and Superfad (among others) all played a part in bringing this baby to light.

Credits

AENY: Thursday, June 26th

It’s getting near that time again, and After Effects New York has a nice one-two punch coming up this Thursday, June 26th from 6:45 to 9:00pm.

Designer Mark Coleran (featured here on Motionographer) will talk about his work on Hollywood blockbusters, and John Montgomery from fxguide and fxphd will share the magic behind his work for a wide array of clients.

Should be good. Oh, and the new space can seat 400 people. Nice. Full details on the AENY site.

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