Story from North America
Story from North America by Garrett Davis and Kirsten Lepore
Posted on Motionographer
Fast Forward: The Future of Web Video
The web is rife with predictions for 2009, most of which will turn out to be pure bunk. But I must admit I enjoy speculations about the web and related technologies. The web is such an unpredictable beast that it encourages imaginations to run wild. Every now and then, something crazy sticks and becomes the next YouTube or Facebook.
With that in mind, I came across an interesting Mashable posting entitled “Peering into 2009: 10 Predictions for Online Video.” It’s a solid list of predictions and definitely worth checking out. One of my favorite bits:
3. Advertiser dollars will shift to more measurable and targeted online video
Traditional ad dollars will continue to migrate online as advertisers seek to ensure the most impact for their advertising dollars in these difficult economic times [...]
eMarketer projects that online video ad spending will increase by nearly 50% in 2009 and reach over $4.5b in 2013. At the same time, consumers will spend more time with web video due to the improved production quality and as an alternative to more expensive leisure activities.
Since the early 2000’s, we’ve been mired in a transition period between TV and the web. Budgets for broadcast design projects have already plummeted, while commercial dollars have been shrinking noticeably over the last few years. Our current economy is only acting as a catalyst for those dwindling numbers.
The measurable ROI of online advertising, meanwhile, is increasingly attractive as advertisers (and, more importantly, their clients) try to get more bang for their buck. I don’t see us returning to the Age of Massive Budgets anytime soon—and I think that’s a good thing. Instead, we’re going to see a gargantuan swell in the number of smaller budget campaigns with web-based video playing a dominant role.
That translates, I hope, into greater creative diversity and a more adventurous attitude regarding experimentation. It’s basically the Long Tail principle applied to online advertising: the sum of advertising dollars will surely grow, but not on concentrated expenditures. It will be spread out across campaigns and platforms.
Content, in other words, will have to share the throne with Segmentation for the title of King. The efficacy of online video advertising will not be based on exposure; it will be based instead on how well a specific audience can be identified and addressed directly. The web makes this laser-like focus possible. Despite the mad profliferation of cable channels, broadcast is still… well, broadcast. A wide net cast over a very deep ocean. And everyone knows all the really cool fish are way, way down there.
Posted on Motionographer
Carolina Melis
Director/illustrator/designer Carolina Melis (with Nexus Productions) has been quietly tinkering with her site for a while now, but we recently got the green light to share it with the world.
Carolina’s portfolio—and I mean all of it, not just the motion work—is a sheer joy to behold. By following her muse through whatever medium it dictates, Carolina has developed a distinctive voice that’s as playful as it is sophisticated.
Characters are both the stars and the medium of Carolina’s work. They trot about the screen while simultaneously acting as design elements, pleasantly blurring the line between figure and ground.
Carolina’s background in dance and choreography is evident in her work. Through repetition and rhythm, simple forms coalesce to form complex compositions that augment the soundtracks in nearly all her projects.
With that in mind, don’t miss Carolina’s abstract video for Efterklang’s “Polygyne.” (It’s only mentioned in the News section of her site.) And keep an eye on Galinanova, a fashion and design project that draws on Carolina’s Sardinian roots.
Posted on Motionographer
History of the Internet in Pictorial Language
This ambitious and informative history of the internet was created entirely in an iconographic language for Melih Bilgil’s diploma in pictorial language
Posted on Motionographer
1st Ave. Machine: Audi ‘Unboxed’
Happy 2009 to everyone! The folks at 1st Ave Machine and Passion Pictures are ringing in the new year with “Unboxed“, an imaginative commercial for the Audi Q5. Not your typical car advertisement, the spot effortlessly combines traditional and 3D animation. I’m particularly a fan of nice touches like the camera racking focus from the character’s face to his hands and back to his face.
The two co-directors, Aaron Duffy (1st Ave Machine) and Russell Brooke (Passion Pictures), divided their roles on the project. Duffy took responsibility for the overall vision for the spot and the transformation of the car, and Brooke for the 2D drawn character.
Aaron was kind enough to answer a couple questions:
How did you coordinate between the cel and 3D animation?
The first step was to choose a design for the character. Russell Brooke, who co-directed the spot with me, did dozens of designs for the folks at BBH to look at. It did not take us long to settle on our final character, whom we decided was a good balance between charming and industrious. As I built the story boards I worked with Russell to make sure that our character would feel “comfortable” performing all of his tasks as he builds the car. As we went into 3D design the 2D animators were able to use printed frames of the animatic to estimate how the character would look on the form. When a piece of the 2D animation was finished we would UV map it onto the 3D animation and move it around until it fit appropriately.
Were any elements shot or was it all 3D? What software was used?
The final spot is a combination of live action (filmed) environment, 3D animation and 2D cel animation. Nothing in the final product was shot practically. However, I did shoot a lot of little stop-motion tests along the way to figure out how to manipulate the cardboard properly.
The software we used was XSI and Nuke.
How many cardboard boxes were sacrificed for the cause?
My space at Passion Pictures was a constant cardboard mess. But that was the best part. It was very important to me that the construction of the car felt like real tactile moments. I made paper and cardboard models of every stage of the animation so that the translation to 3D would be accurate. In the end it was extremely important to work from cardboard models because it is impossible to make all the unpredictable wrinkles and bends from scratch. Having the bending cardboard mechanisms in front of us dictated how the 3D forms were animated and textured and how the character’s face and arms would bend with it.
The collaboration involved in this project was particularly fun. It was our first project as 1stAve UK and working with the folks at Passion Pictures was like a dream. There was a lot of good input and good times all the way through and I can’t wait to do it again.
Title: “Unboxed”
Length: 1 x 60
Client: Audi
Product: Audi Q5
Agency: BBH
Creative Directors: Nick Kidney, Kevin Stark
Creatives: Maja Fernqvist, Joakim Saul
Producer: Olly Chapman
Music: “The Car Song” Woody Guthrie
Production Co: Co-produced by Passion Pictures + 1st Ave Machine
Co-directors: Aaron Duffy (1st Ave), Russell Brooke (Passion)
Creative Director: Arvind Palep, (1st Ave)
Producer: Belinda Blacklock, Anna Lord
Exec Producer: Serge Patzak (1st Ave), Michael Adamo (Passion)
Animation: Passion Pictures
Posted on Motionographer
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Grasses, Gardens and demonstrations
Grasses, Gardens and demonstrations
Lost and Found
ZBrush in Gears 2
Motionographer Podcast 03: MassMarket
Well, I took my sweet time getting around to it, but I finally finished up the third Motionographer Podcast. This time, I chatted with MassMarket’s Justin Lane and Chris Staves. Some of the topics we touched on:
- Chris and Justin’s professional backgrounds and the founding of MassMarket
- MassMarket’s relationship to Psyop
- Behind-the-scenes from some of MassMarket’s recent projects
- Advice for students and industry newbies
Although the podcast is a bit of a hobby at the moment, I’d love to hear your thoughts/ideas about what you’d like to hear in the future. Please send your feedback to justin@motionographer.com.
NOTE: If the above audio player doesn’t work for you, you may also download the mp3 here.
Posted on Motionographer
Gravity: Drunk Driving PSA
Israel-based Gravity creates a simple but chilling anti-drunk driving PSA
Posted on Motionographer
Blur, Making of Warhammer trailer
Gnomon School hosts Blur Studio’s presentation of The Making of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Trailer (hang in there past the first speaker—it gets good)
Posted on Motionographer
Apres la Pluie and other Gobelins shorts
Another stunning list of student work has just been released by the french animation school Gobelins. My personal favorite, Apres la Pluie seems to be beyond the work of students. Credited to a few students by the names of Charles-André Lefebvre, Manuel Tanon-Tchi, Louis Tardivier, Sébastien Vovau, Emmanuelle Walker, this is an animation that any studio would be proud to execute. Gratifyingly different than most animation out there, this follows an aestetic closer to Tekkonkinkreet than a Pixar movie..this is no easy task. There are a couple making of videos that show the depth of research and exploration that went into this film.
Not to be forgotten though are the other films, which all display the amazingly high standard that Gobelins has for it’s students. Another great animation worth seeing is California Love.
Apres la Pluie making of:
“Après la pluie” / Making of / Manuel Tanon-Tchi from manu tanon-tchi on Vimeo.
via Liftingfaces
Posted on Motionographer
Check out IdN OnAir - A fresh online extension of the awesome IdN Magazine, showcasing a fine selection of animation shorts, commercials, music videos etc
Posted on Motionographer
SIGGRAPH CAF 2009
