Sep 30

SpecialGuest/Vinicius Costa: Zune HD

Posted in: 1st ave machine, central planning, General, microsoft, SpecialGuest, vinicius costa, zune

viniciuscosta_zune

1st Ave Machine’s colorful alter ego, SpecialGuest, presents a new spot for Zune HD. This spot is Vinicius Costa’s commercial directorial debut with SpecialGuest, following his fantastic short film earlier this year.

From Vinicius: “For this spot I decided to represent high definition in a different way using light, contrast and colors.” No doubt! As with his other work, there’s endless playful, loving details lighting up the environment around them – hopping notes on the turntable, the mixing board faders amidst the vinyl records, the sonic mountains, the dimensionality of the other worlds through the Zune window, to name a few.

Director: Vinicius Costa
Creative Director: Aaron Duffy
Technical Directors: Dan Gregoras & Sam O’Hare
Lead Compositor: Weito Chow
3D Modeler: Joe Nguyen
Production Company: 1st Ave Machine
Executive Producer: Serge Patzak
Head of Production: Hae-Sook Song
Head of Creative Development: Claire Mitchell
Agency: Central Planning
Producer: Michael Lovelady
Associate Producer: Todd Carlson
Zune Creative Director: Ramiro Torres

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Sep 11

Asif Mian for 1st Ave Machine: ReRun

Posted in: 1st ave machine, Asif Mian, General, onedotzero, rerun

1stAveMachine_ReRun2

Like a bat out of hell, Asif Mian laces up, and breaks away with ReRun. Hatched straight from the lab at 1st Ave Machine, ReRun is an abstract film with a nitty-gritty fusion of cinematography and top-notch CG. While not overly conceptual, the film follows a slum-dwelling basketball player who weaves through the streets of a desolate ghetto. In his wake, and with every passing step; a shoe is left behind in suspended animation. Amid the course, the ball dribbling night-walker takes a spill, and with him, one by one, the trail of shoes come crashing down. Brushing himself off, the main character rises, and so too do the shoes. With the shoes now serving as a path, the man soldiers on, and continues along his shady trek of personal discovery.

Undeniably, ReRun is an odyssey of visual and audio. The Sound Design of the film is particularly electronic, with an ebb and flow that chauffeurs the narrative along at a fluctuating tempo. The visual, or CG for that matter, is done in good taste, and does not overshadow the plot, however ambiguous in nature it is. With its world premiere at OneDotZero_Adventures in Motion 2009, the film will fit snugly into the catalog of hits for both 1st Ave Machine, and Director Asif Mian.


Director: Asif Mian
Director of Photography: Zak Mulligan
Art Department: Sean O’Connor, Dustin Highbridge
Live-Action Producer: Rich Hutchins
Production Company: 1st Ave Machine
Executive Producer: Serge Patzak
Post Producer: Crystal Campbell
Editor: Asif Mian
Lead CG Artist: Mike Merron
3D Artists: Ajit Menon, Tyquane Wright
Original Music: HPrizm

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Feb 17

Vinicius Costa “Special Guest: The Journey”

Posted in: 1st ave machine, General, special guest, Stop-motion, surrealism, vinicius costa

viniciuscosta_thespecialguest

Brazilian director Vinicius Costa shows off some mixed media chops in his new short, “Special Guest: The Journey.” There’s a suitcase as cabinet of curiosities with flapping airplane, piano keyboard parking lot, and pink neuron climbing through a Dali-inspired landscape. It’s an endless, playful, stream of consciousness loop that rewards repeated viewings (are those people dancing in the front yard?).

Costa’s debut film with 1st Avenue Machine-sibling Special Guest is in the studio’s tradition of having new directors create a film based on their idea of The Special Guest. From Costa: “It occurred to me that just looking at someone’s luggage could tell you a lot about the owner’s personality.”

Director: Vinicius Costa
Production Services: Animatorio
Compositors: Vanderlei Santana and Rafael Antonelli
Rotoscope: Vanderlei Santana, Rafael Antonelli, and Raiza Costa
Stop Motion: Animatorio
Audio: Omni Audium

Posted on Motionographer

Vinicius Costa “Special Guest: The Journey”

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