Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/14320
n n n n Broadcast Before the World Cup event even started, MOI crafted graphics for the Preliminary Draw qualifier (top left). The facility also integrated renderings of the stadiums, which were under construction, into the landscape (top right) for Preliminary Draw marketing campaigns. Cup projects started in 2007 with live-event graphics for the Preliminary Draw event, and completely snowballed from there,” says MOI senior producer Elena Nicolettis. Te depth and breadth of work MOI undertook in connection with the World Cup is impres- sive; ultimately, the staff was able to deliver under tight deadlines, overcome demanding creative tasks, and navigate through complex workflows. With its skilled artistic team and a compre- hensive tool set for visual effects, the company ended up creating content for 100 television commercials, one broadcast package, and even live-event graphics for the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw, Final Draw, Closing Cer- emonies, and other FIFA World Cup-related special venue projects. To help move the projects along, MOI’s 12-person in-house animation team turned to Autodesk’s Maya, while the company’s remaining crew (compositors, VFX supervi- sors, editors, machine-room and multimedia operators, audio final mixers and compos- ers, and producers) utilized Autodesk Flame, Flint, and Smoke stations. MOI’s involvement with the World Cup created a tremendous opportunity for the company to push itself creatively and technically with results in terms of sheer volume and effects artistry. “We’re a team of 37 people, and part of why we’re able to push through such a high volume of work is our efficient and reliable pipeline,” says Marios Nicolettis, MOI founder and VFX supervisor. “We’ve been using Autodesk digital entertainment creation tools since we started the company in 2000, and we com- plete 170 to 200 commercials a month. Te big challenge for us, especially in relation to the World Cup, was time to completion. We have a complex and fast-moving creative workflow, where multiple artists collaborate on projects. We can’t waste time troubleshooting technical problems or translating files between different 60 July 2010 software applications. We need a fast, efficient, and reliable workflow that lets us concentrate on being creative.” The Qualifiers MOI first got involved with FIFA when de- veloping graphics to screen on the Jumbotron during the Preliminary Draw, an event that takes place far in advance of the World Cup itself, whereby 100-plus countries compete to qualify for 32 World Cup team slots. For this event, FIFA wanted to integrate 3D visualiza- tions of the nine impressive new soccer stadi- ums that were under construction throughout the country in preparation for the main event. Since the venues were not yet built, MOI used Maya to create photoreal animated CG ren- derings of stadiums in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Pretoria, and Rustend- burg, and composited them into live-action aerial footage using Flame and Smoke. Te FIFA World Cup Final Draw is another qualifying event marking the announcement of the 32 teams selected to play in the World Cup. For that, MOI worked with director Ian Wilson of Te Front Production Company to create a video insert into which live-action footage of native African animals appear to play a game of football in the Kruger National Park. MOI’s team achieved the spot’s compos- iting and tracking using Flame, and built the CG ball handled by several of the animals in Maya. Te artists also had to perform extensive rotoscoping, tracking, 3D enhancement, and clean-up, as many of the animals were filmed in captivity, requiring cage walls and fences to be painted out. In addition, since only two of the 15 animals featured were filmed with ac- tual soccer balls, CG balls were added into sev- eral scenes. Te resulting video insert is both amusing and technically impressive, with ef- fects so photoreal that audiences might believe that this game actually took place. One of the more challenging projects on the road to the World Cup was a four-minute video showcasing the newly announced quali- fying teams. “I was in Cape Town, where the Final Draw was taking place, while our anima- tion and VFX teams were in Johannesburg ed- iting footage, preparing graphics, and inserting clips into our spot treatment on the fly as the teams were being selected. It was quite chal- lenging to construct the clips, capturing the exact moments from hours of soccer gameplay footage to meet FIFA’s specifications,” says M. Nicolettis. In the end, the 2010 FIFA qualifying video was a great success. Te clip showcased all the represented countries and included an all-CG flyover of Earth that zeroed in on frames of the selected soccer teams against well-known South African rock art textures. Tis sequence ultimately became a visual signature that was used as a graphic element throughout the FIFA 2010 Final Draw. Tie-ins around the Nation MOI also worked on another FIFA World Cup-related project, a 30-spot ad campaign for MTN, a leading South African cellular network that is preparing to promote brand awareness and football spirit during the event. Te commercials involved extensive compos- iting, with MOI artists working around the clock to deliver a record number of spots in a short time frame. Tese spots involved ex- tensive finishing and 3D compositing work, which included the creation of digital fire- works and confetti, digitally re-creating the bright-purple blossoming of jacaranda trees, digital crowd enhancement, and more. MOI’s CG work in connection with the FIFA World Cup also extended into custom broadcast identities created for SABC (South Africa’s national host broadcaster), which runs three television channels in 11 languages. SABC needed graphic identities, network bumpers, promotional spots, and more. MOI answered that call by building and animating all 3D elements in Maya during a four-week