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September 2017

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www.postmagazine.com 7 POST SEPTEMBER 2017 BITS & PIECES HOLLYWOOD/NEW YORK CITY — A cinematic new animated trailer for Lenovo's Legion brand recently debuted online and in targeted media outlets around the world. The project was conceived by creatives at Ogilvy & Mather New York, in partnership with bicoastal creative production company Gentleman Scholar (http:// gentlemanscholar.com). Lenovo Legion was launched earlier this year as a dedicated sub-group for gaming PCs. Continuing to demon- strate how "different makes better," the brand reached out to its growing com- munity of gamers for input on their specific ideas and needs. The Legion name is one direct result of their input, reflecting Lenovo's commitment to community engagement and the immersive experiences now represent- ed through its new products, which include the Lenovo Legion Y920, Y720 and Y520 laptops currently debuting in key markets around the world. Features include the ability to drive immersive VR through Nvidia graph- ics, premium sound with Dolby Atmos and increased performance with the latest 7th Gen Intel Core i7 processor — Lenovo's Legion line is aimed at the gaming experience. Embracing the brand's signature spirit of differentiation, Ogilvy New York's team envisioned treating the debut of Lenovo Legion less like an ad and more like an epic trailer for a videogame. According to executive creative directors Ryan Blank and Mike Hahn, "The idea was to spotlight this community of Legion gamers and to recognize them as what they are — a force to be reckoned with. In our original script, we found ways to have the action set within scenes that are inspired by popular videogame genres, from puzzle games to RPG empire expansion and first-person shooters." To bring its vision to life, Ogilvy's executives turned to Gentleman Scholar, known for productions span- ning from live-action to animation, VR and everything in-between. For this 100 percent CGI production, the team was led by creative directors Will Johnson and Chace Hartman. Credit also goes to associate creative director JP Rooney, CG lead Adam Burke and senior producer Sue Yee Hubbard, among others. In the film's action across 45 sec- onds, viewers first see cloaked figure with its face appearing as the glowing Legion logo. In an abstract, darkened world, 3D grids and shapes transform and illuminate, erupting into pristine, pulsating objects that resolve into the distinct Lenovo Legion Laptop and its accessories. A voiceover commentary relates the tale of the Legion from the collective point-of-view. For the designers, this was a momentous opportunity to create a mysterious world showcasing the heart of these premier gaming prod- ucts. "Our client and agency partners gave us a lot of creative freedom to interpret the overall brief, and create the cinematic end result," Hartman says. "The timeline was tight and in the end, everyone was happy with the final film — which says a lot about the talents of everyone involved." In the trenches, the otherworldly visuals were created using a com- bination of Side Effects Software's Houdini, Autodesk Maya and The Foundry's Nuke. "Many of the assets were created in Houdini, which gave our artists the most flexibility for art direction," Rooney explains. "As one example, we were able to change the shape of the 'egg' at any point, and the way that it shattered would up- date automatically. We also were able to adjust the digital fluid in a similar way to get the exact look we wanted." Rooney continues, "We also tried to get our 3D data into Nuke quickly, so we could take full advantage of its advanced compositing features as early on as possible." Of course, every major videog- ame trailer demands a breathtak- ing score. For A Message from the Legion, that is courtesy of composer Xander Rodzinski in tandem with sound designer Marshall Grupp of Sound Lounge. "Music and sound design were imperative for us all, and we were closely involved in shaping the sound and tone for this project from the beginning," Hartman adds. "Hearing Xander and Marshall's art- istry in concert with the picture is a sublime experience." GENTLEMAN SCHOLAR HELPS LENOVO BRING GAMING TO LIFE NEW YORK CITY — Cut+Run's (http://cutandrun.com) Joel Miller and director Tim K of production company Bullitt, for ad agency Translation, recently completed a :90 spot for the NFL, titled Handoff Across America. The spot is intended as a fun, upbeat showcase of all things football in the so-called 'offseason.' The project, which was shot on two Alexas, one Sony A7s, six GoPros and a number of Samsung phones, was cut on an Avid Media Composer, with Miller spending two days editing on-set. "We had a lot of great footage to work with," says Miller. "With so much material, it was helpful to see what the director and agency were liking as it was being shot. Once the whole team was back at Cut+Run, the goal of the edit was to find the moments that capture the natural interactions between the kids and players. Once I culled through the footage to find the best mo- ments, the agency creatives and I worked side by side to find the best way to express the energy and fun that comes with offseason football." Color correction for the spot was completed by colorist Jamie O'Bradovich at Company 3, the conform/online facility was Jogger, and audio post was completed by mixers Eric Warzecha and Jeremy Siegel at Heard City. CUT+RUN SCORES TOUCHDOWN WITH NFL SPOT Handoff Across America 40,000

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