Minneapolis broadcast design & animation studio Motion504 coined the main titles for the AICP Show, The Art & Technique of the American Commercial, by paying a visit to a dark and unassuming steampunk-style type foundry. In the manner of Victorian craftsmanship, the title sequence introduces each reception sponsor through the invented art of “moving type” by the means of various 19th century widgets.
Opening at the storefront of the fictional Verne Bros. Kinetic Type Company, the title ushers in a cinematic tone, as inside, we meet the elderly protagonist. At the crack of dawn, working fervently, the man opens the shop for business. While the operations of the shop remain a mystery, kinetic type gadgets curiously come to life. Jingling and rattling, the inconceivable gizmos introduce the names of each AICP reception sponsor, one by one.
Client: AICP Minnesota, Kirk Hokanson, Executive Director
Product: AICP Show 2009 reception sponsor reel
Concept, Design & VFX: motion504
Creative Director/3D/Compositor: Scott Wenner
3D/Compositor: Amy Schmitt
Executive Producer: Eric Mueller
Director: Scott Wenner
DP: Bo Hakala
Art Director: Sarah Jean Kruchowski
Producer: Todd Cobery
Editor: Joe Martin
Sound Design: BWN
Sound Designer: Carl White