Computer Graphics World

MARCH 2010

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Digital effects help TV ads score with the Super Bowl audience By Debra Kaufman Super Bowl 2010 was a year to remember. With the India- napolis Colts heavily favored, the New Orleans Saints still came marching in, thrilling die-hard fans in the Big Easy, as well as those across the nation rooting for the underdog to claim its first-ever world championship. But Super Bowl commercials this year weren’t nearly as thrilling. Although the cost of a Super Bowl spot has sky- rocketed, the number of eye-catching VFX commercials on display this year was paltry. Has the money gone to buy- ing the time instead of creating the spots? Tis year’s Super Bowl commercials took in an average of $3 million per 30- second spot, with total ad revenue of $213 million. Accord- ing to Mediaweek journalist Anthony Crupi, that is a 329 percent increase from CBS’s price of $700,400 for the 1990 game. Turning back the clock to 1967, a commercial run- ning during the Super Bowl went for just $42,500. Fast-forward to 2010, when the most popular commer- cial was the extraordinarily simple Google ad, which charted a budding romance, marriage, and family simply through search terms typed into a Google box on a computer screen. It’s hard not to see this pullback from extravagantly visual spots as a response to the economic downturn. With thou- sands out of work, perhaps the brands reasoned, would it be unseemly to spend millions on a commercial? Yet, many did—with dismal results. Nonetheless, a handful of great-looking CG animation and visual effects did rise to the top, including one from Anheuser Busch, a company that always seems to score high in terms of commercial appeal, as well as Super Bowl newcomer Vizio, which used CG technology combined with star power and pop culture to peddle its televisions. Animated animals are always a sure bet, as Honda and Monster.com realized with a squirrel and beaver, respec- tively. And, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Teleflora got into the act and came up smelling rosy with animated flowers. BRIDGE • BUDWEISER Director: Paul Middleditch Agency: DDB Chicago Production company: aWhitelabelProduct CG company: Te Mill NY In “Bridge,” the people of Any Town, USA, are distraught to learn that the Budweiser delivery truck can’t make it because the bridge is out. Determined to get their Budweiser, they form a human bridge to allow the truck to roll into town. Westley Sarokin, lead Flame artist at Te Mill NY and 22 March 2010

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