Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/3788
D OWNEY, CA — Artistry in Sound (www.artistryin- sound.com) is handling audio post for the second sea- son of Leverage, which airs on TNT. The drama is execu- tive produced by Dean Devlin and stars Timothy Hutton. Kenneth L. Johnson is the supervising sound designer for the show and is responsible for over- seeing and coordinating all audio post, including dialogue, ADR, sound effects and Foley. Johnson uses a combination of Nu- endo, Logic and Pro Tools on Leverage, as well as Soundminer's Miniminer data- base management program. Plug-ins used include releases from Waves, and Audio Ease's Altiverb and Speakerphone. 48 Post • October 2009 www.postmagazine.com L OS ANGELES — Zoic Studios (www.zoicstudios.com) was called on by Dentsu America to bring to life an an- imated character that promotes Nissin Chow Mein. Eddie Wise features a tiny Asian character — voiced by actor James Hong (Blade Runner, Mulan, Kung Fu Panda) — who praises a young woman for bypassing the frozen lunch alternative while at the office, and instead opts for Nissin noodles, which achieve their full potential when they are mixed with water and heated in a microwave. Zoic acted as a creative partner with the agency, not only developing the animated Eddie character, but also overseeing the spot's production. Bully Pictures' Craig Tanimoto directed live action for the commercial and Zoic's Loni Peristere served as director of animation. Zoic's VFX supervisor, Les Ekker, attended the voiceover session with Hong and shot video so Image Met- rics' technology could later be used to extract the facial mo- tion. Hong's face, neck and hands were photographed using a custom camera with a polarized lighting rig built by Zoic's Ekker and CG supervisor Andy Wilkoff. Details, such as hair and clothing movement, were created with simulations. VFX editing and the final Flame finish took place at Zoic. The studio also animated the Nissin logo at the end of the spot. Maya was used for animation. SOUND LEVERAGE NOODLE WISDOM K ANSAS CITY, MO — Back Alley Films' (www.backalleyfilms.com) Wade Brothers partnered with Kansas City's T2 to create an eight-minute video that provides a voyeuristic house tour. House 53 was created for British fashion company Fly53, and was shown at the Bread & Butter clothing show in Berlin. The Wade Brothers devised a storyline for House 53 where the mood changes as the viewer flies through each room, yet, all the while, maintains an edgy and sexy vibe, just like the clothing line. Michael Stein was DP, shooting with a Red digital cin- ema camera at 3K/120fps. T2's Pete Meyer cut the project on an Avid Adrenaline. Autodesk Smoke artist Allen Rob- bins handled the online and finishing. Original music and sound design for the video was provided by Noel Selders and Anthony Magliano. P O S T I N G S HOUSE PARTY V ENICE, CA — Team Detroit called on director David Rosenbaum and his team at Dig- ital Domain (www.d2.com) to show off the technology featured in Lincoln's new MKS. The :30 Cleaner. Faster. Smarter. spot takes viewers both inside and outside the car. The production involved a one-day live-action shoot at the El Toro Air Base in Irvine, CA, where realistic camera motions of a car traveling at 80MPH were captured. The Lin- coln MKS was shot using a Sony F35 camera in an open area to avoid reflections that would then need to be removed. At Digital Domain, live-action footage was combined with motion graphics that high- light the car's luxury, traveling all the way down to the molecular level, where the car's Ecoboost technology is shown making it more efficient by atomizing fuel. Digital Domain also modeled full CG shots of the car to create shots that couldn't be achieved during the live-action shoot. The studio used The Foundry's Nuke, Side Effects Houdini, Autodesk Maya and Flame, and Adobe After Effects to execute the spot, which features Shiny Toy Guns' electronica track. RingSide Creative in Oak Park, MI, handled the mix. SMART CAR