Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/54443
Test Spots Adobe After Effects — and now The Foundry's Nuke — for compositing. Autodesk Smoke and a Flame are also on hand if needed. 2D animatics are crafted with the Adobe suite of products with Apple's Final Cut Pro, Autodesk Smoke or Adobe Premiere used for editorial, and third-party plug-ins handling lipsyncing, dynamics and simulation. Audio for test spots shouldn't be over- Napoleon's Ken Kresge (and a sample animatic): "It's up to us to make sure the concept is cultivated from the beginning, that we choose the right style for the spot." the spot. To do that, you have to be flexible and offer a diverse talent base. It's about being good storytellers, being able to prob- lem solve before getting into production, and getting good test scores for our clients." He notes that longtime agency clients value partnering with Napoleon. "They come to us not only because we do good work but also because we work together with them on a project. We don't just take the order for a test spot. They expect us to bring our thoughts to the table and put our stamp on things." The company creates test spots for a large slice of major New York City agencies, includ- ing Publicis, McCann-Erickson, Saatchi & Saat- chi, Kaplan Thayler, DDB and BBDO. Some have sister agencies abroad with testing needs, and The Napoleon Group has extended its networked services to agencies worldwide. When it comes to choosing a style, Napoleon's 3D cinematics are proving to be the latest popular product. Yet Napoleon still considers its traditional approaches — photomatics, live shoots and 2D animatics — the best choice for some test commer- cials. "We represent a diverse range of digi- tal and traditional artists that collaborate in and out of house to produce a wide range of styles," Kresge says. While Napoleon has always relied on its in-house 3D department to enhance its test work with 3D demos and VFX, Kresge says the company made a calculated decision when it came time to build its unique 3D cinematic style. "We wanted to make sure we could transition our clients smoothly to the new style. It was good to wait a year or two [after companies began offering 3D cinematics] and see where the style was going." Kresge says that Napoleon didn't want an off-the-shelf or "canned" 3D look and worked with a core team of experts to develop their characters' appeal. The Napoleon Group taps Autodesk Maya for 3D modeling and animation with 30 Post • February 2012 looked. "It plays a major role; it's very detailed," Kresge says. "The level of quality is no differ- ent from a broadcast spot, especially if the commercial has lipsync or is music- and cut- driven. The audio elements will often go to air." The Napoleon Group boasts two audio rooms, each manned by its own engineer. PIPE DREAMS 3D Pipe Dreams 3D (www.pipedreams3d. com) was formed in London in 2004 by Adam Attew who was doing 3D animation for games and television. Attew was aware of the role of animatics in advertising: His brother had worked on them years earlier and "they hadn't changed that much" since. He thought about "bringing the techniques of games, TV and film to the animatics world," so he pitched agencies on a 3D approach to a tried-and-true process. Although Attew was "selling something new," some agencies immediately saw the value of 3D cinematics, notably FCB/Lon- don, which used the technique for the S.C. Johnson brand. Word spread about Pipe BBDO cooks it up in-house NEW YORK — A number of advertising agencies have the ability to create test spots under their roofs. At BBDO/New York (www.bbdo.com), The Kitchen@BBDO han- dles the agency's in-house post production needs as well as test commercial produc- tion. The facility boasts Apple Final Cut Pro editorial, stereo and surround sound mixing in three Avid Pro Tools suites, 2D animation with Adobe After Effects and 3D animation with Maxon Cinema 4D and Autodesk Maya. The Kitchen usually crafts traditional 2D animatics as well as video boards, which feature no moving pieces but offer camera pans and zooms on the art. "Sometimes we'll have a 2D animatic with a 3D element incorporated, but we don't have motion capture capabilities," says executive producer Cheryl Mango. The simple approach remains popular with many clients, she points out. "An Snickers Shark and Orbitz Check Delivery. account like GE wants a very clean approach in their animatics. They're not looking for all the busy-ness of a complex animation. So we give them Ken Burns-style pans, zooms and drifts with voiceover for a clean, narrative video board." It's up to the client to decide whether to use the Kitchen's talents for test spots or rely on an outside vendor, Mango says. Many key accounts have opted for Kitch- en: Recent animatics that have tested well and gone into full-up broadcast produc- tion, include Lowes Holiday Lights, Snickers Shark and Orbitz Check Delivery. The Kitchen also created the signature 3D-animated bee for Nasonex, which appears in on-air commercials. The Kitchen hasn't experienced a big increase or decrease in test spot work late- ly, according to Mango. "There's a theory that if the client believes in testing, they'll do it. I don't know that the economy has changed that." Accounts that test via the Kitchen "run the gamut" in terms of categories and brands, she reports. "They rep- resent quite a range." — Christine Bunish www.postmagazine.com