Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/69535
them to imagine what it will look like down the line." This included creating boards that could serve as a visual guide. Authentic handled a transcode of the footage for Oishii Creative, which then per- formed the edit using Final Cut Pro. Graphics were created in Adobe After Effects and Maxon Cinema 4D. The studio also relied on Boujou for camera tracing. The final open runs :20. Oishii also created the program's entire graphics package, which includes tran- sitions, bumpers, the logo, credit bands, lower thirds, and window graphics. The studio had approximately a month and a half from when they were awarded the job until when they had to deliver it. Looking at the industry, Obregon says he has noticed different trends for show opens. "A lot has to do with where the show sits and stands," he notes. "I am a huge fan of opens that describe characters. If you are a studio president Pilger, noting that Impossible can come up with creative concepts, as well as execute their production and post. The duo cites the Velocity launch as a perfect example. Velocity is actually a re- launch/re-brand of the HD Theater network, which had been leaning toward the motors- ports-lifestyle genre. As part of the Discov- ery family, Velocity has access to 40 million homes, so the launch was a good way for the network to define and establish its voice. "When you are launching a brand-new network, it's a really complicated problem," Pilger explains. Velocity came to Impossible with a basic creative brief, he recalls. One intimate shots, including vehicle interiors. In addition to the Alexa, the team used Canon 5Ds. "We weighed all the different formats, the pluses and minuses, and ulti- mately wound up with Alexa because we knew it was going to look great and the camera was going to be very dependable," Urbano notes. "It had to be rock steady when you are moving that fast." The desert heat was also an issue, adds Pilger, noting that temperatures approached 115 degrees during the shoot. Impossible posted the package using After Effects, Cinema 4D, Final Cut Pro and Nuke. The Velocity package, says Urbano, is indica- Impossible TV is using live action to attract viewers to the new Velocity network. new fan, it sets up the show to come." Other series that make use of sparse titles may have their reasons, he adds, noting that it often makes it easier to get into the show itself. For Auction Hunters, Obregon says it was "important to reemphasize the overall mes- sage and mantra of the show. The network wanted the characters to come across as a little more bad ass. An open does a great job. — it's more of a branded message." IMPOSSIBLE TV Joel Pilger and Steve Urbano have been partners in Denver's Impossible TV for 10 years. Urbano, who serves as a director, cre- ative director and executive producer, says the company's primary function is to act as a creative agency for TV networks and corpo- rate clients. In that capacity, Impossible has handled rebrands, refreshes, promos, design work and production. The studio's clients include Great Ameri- can Country (GAC), The Military Channel, and Discovery brands, including the recently launched Velocity network. "We think of our- selves as a creative 'think and do' tank," says that targets affluent men. "We did have some research on the audience and what it looked like, but as for translating it into a brand, they had not done any of that," he notes. "So, put- ting a voice to that was what we contributed. That was a big part of the project." Impossible created as many as 100 ele- ments for the network, including launch spots, host IDs, teasers, the graphics pack- age, the logo, animations, backplates and sponsor billboards. Spots ranged anywhere from :05 to :60 seconds, and one of the latter brought together hosts from the network's array of automotive programming for a shoot in the desert in Southern California. The launch spot features different show hosts arriving via stylized hot rods. They assemble in a giant warehouse featuring the Velocity "V" logo. The desert shoot made use of an Ulti- mate Arm configured with an Arri Alexa camera, notes Urbano. Pilger, who served as second-unit cinematographer, was instru- mental in capturing some of the more tive of the trend he's seeing for custom shoots. "If we were doing packages before — promos and IDs — it was all so much about graphics, like the refresh we did for GAC," he notes. "But the production side continues to be more and more important — almost by the week. We've seen a trend toward shooting elements now, as opposed to creating in them 3D and After Effects." Pilger agrees, noting that networks are faced with the growing challenge of differ- entiating themselves, particularly in the US market. "Live action, photography and using human beings is a key way of emotionally engaging the audience," he notes. "That is just not feasible with graphics and animation alone. The audience is the US is mature, and used to being sold just a brand-new, spinning, shiny logo. They want to know what are the stories the network is going to deliver? Stories are always about human beings, talent, per- sonalities, characters, and live action is the most compelling and beautiful way to capture that and bring it to viewers." www.postmagazine.com Post • June 2012 29