Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/102700
Artist, which promotes Microsoft's Windows 8, called on Carbon VFX to create content as well as track it to the screen. Consumers see a lot of commericals. They are a savvy bunch, and it takes a lot to impress them. Agencies are aware of that fact, and are constantly trying to raise the bar with spots that keep viewers from picking up the remote or getting a snack. A good spot can be memorable for any number of reasons. Was it funny? Were the effects impressive? Did it tug at the heart strings? Today's commercials typically involve some sort of visual effect. What might appear straightforward to the viewer has probably undergone considerable clean-up or beauty work. Then there are the effects-heavy spots, where a post house's contributions are more obvious. The VFX pros we spoke to this month report that every project has its own unique challenge. Here, they walk us through the process and tell us the tools they use to deliver work on time and on budget. LIGHT OF DAY Two-year-old Light of Day (www.lightofday.tv) in New York City had a busy 2012 that included creating a package of spots for the New York Lottery. They worked with agency DDB Worldwide and director Jim Jenkins on the Zombies spot, which was shown as a :60 in cinemas, and as a :30 for broadcast. The commercial, which was shot in Brooklyn, features a slow-moving crowd of zombies closing in on three trapped store workers. The zombies have them cornered, but as they are about to crash through the store window, a commercial on the store's small TV announces a multi-million dollar jackpot for an upcoming Lotto drawing. The zombies are stopped in their tracks, and turn their attention to a newsstand, where they line up to secure their chance to play.The employees also shrug off the danger of the mob, pushing zombies out of the way to get their own lottery tickets. According to Light of Day creative director Colin Stackpole, who is a co-principal at the studio with CD Charles Nordeen and MD Amy Taylor, the spot featured the make-up of Andy Schoneberg, known for his work on The Walking Dead. Light of Day captured background plates using Canon's 5D and 7D.The studio took the 40 zombie actors and grew them in number using Massive Software. Flame was used to help even out the lighting, because the shot at the newsstand was very bright from the sun and needed to match the flatter look of the previous scenes. At the time of our interview, the studio was working on another Lottery spot, this one featuring a mix of live action, miniature models and visual effects. In Invasion, a spaceship hovers over the city and then sends a landing party down to the street, where legions of alien troops exit the craft, turning their attention to a young man, who they follow down an alley, cornering him with nowhere to run. As the aliens are about to strike, a human voice yells, "Cut!," stopping the aliens in their tracks and revealing that the entire scene was just a large-scale film production. The audience learns that the director was just playing a prank on an unknowing friend, and the spot's voiceover declares, "That kind of rich," suggesting that for a lucky winner, nothing is too extreme. The spot's live action was shot on film in the Washington Heights section of New York over a three-day period. Miniatures of the alien spacecraft were shot using Arri's Alexa at 48fps. Light Of Day's Stackpole says the shoot involved five primary aliens and 20 additional characters, requiring him to replicate the performances so it would appear there were a large number of creatures in the piece. In addition to retouching, Stackpole was tasked with adding lights to the scene of the aliens disembarking from their craft, as well as smoke, fire and wind caused by the craft landing. A destroyed car was also going to be added to the street scene. Another Lottery spot the studio completing was Thumb Wars, which asks the viewer what it would be like to multiply the excitement of a simple pleasure 100-fold? In this case, the joy of winning a thumb-wrestling match in the office cafeteria. The one-day shoot involved considerable greenscreen work, as well as the need to create CG backgrounds, animation and lighting. Light of Day has Autodesk's Flame Premium, which it uses as its primary visual effects and finishing tool.The studio can also expand its number of seats to allow freelancers to join in on projects that require additional creative muscle. CARBON VFX About a year ago, New York's Carbon VFX (www.carbonvfx.com) launched www.postmagazine.com Post0113_028-20,32-VFXRAV3FINALREAD.indd 29 Post•January2013 29 12/21/12 2:38 PM