Hasta La Motion!

We received an email this morning regarding a clever video that Masayoshi Nakamura and Magico Nakamura created for the Adobe Records video competition. What I like about this video is that the Nakamura’s took a simple idea, added the slightest twist to it and were able to create something that is clever and visually appealing without being over the top. In a way it reminds me of D.A.N.C.E. in its controlled merger of film and animation to create something that is able to be very engaging without relying on excess to entertain.

Perhaps this video could be in the quickies, but researching a little deeper I found that we have somehow never shown the spotlight on Masa Nakamura’s work. Masa is a multidisciplinary designer and animator who doesn’t pigeon hole himself into a single approach to solving his creative problems. Whether it be traditional 2d graphics, stop motion puppetry or painting on glass, Masa is willing to explore any medium necessary to get his message across.

Oh and if anyone is interested in the Adobe Records competition that this was an entry for click here. The site is all in Japanese, but basically it seems that Adobe has created their own label and have opened up this competition which has different categories including album jacket design, photography, interactive design, and music clips. In the end adobe is going to put out different compilations that will feature the winner of each category.

Posted on Motionographer

Created for Tribal DDB, Amsterdam, Stink Digital and Director Adam Berg deliver this interactive campaign for Philips’ new CINEMA 21:9 TV. The cinematic proportions of the display became the theme of this piece. Adam responded with an idea for an epic ‘frozen moment’ cops and robbers shootout sequence.

This 2:19 film runs as an endless loop, allowing viewers to control their moves through the scene. The film also contains embedded hotspots, which, when triggered, give us a behind-the-scenes look at some of the shots.

Yes, this film does share some creative similarities with pieces we’ve posted in the past. However, it is the mode of distribution that’s really got me excited as the frequency of these types of projects are increasing.

As many feared the death of the traditional spot, others embraced the web’s potential to distribute longer form content. Not only longer form, but branded stories where directors and production companies had more of a front seat role. Adam had the opportunity to make a short-film which is quite far removed from the brand who funded it — and promotes them better than any product or tech-centric spot. This is an exciting time for story-tellers of all mediums.

AGENCY
Tribal DDB, Amsterdam
Global Creative Director: Neil Dawson
CD: Chris Baylis
Senior Project Manager: John Reardon
Producer: Jeroen Jedeloo, Iwona Echt
Art Director: Mariota Essery, Andrew Ferguson
Copywriter: Carla Madden, Chris Baylis
Account Planner: Sean Chambers
Technical Lead: Jan Willem Penterman

FILM
Production Company: Stink Digital
Executive Producer: Mark Pytlik, Daniel Bergmann, Stephen Brierley
Producer: Simon Eakhurst, Stephen Brierley
Director: Adam Berg
DoP: Fredrik Backar

Service Facilities: Stillking, Prague
Stillking Line Producer: Zuzana de Pagter
1st AD: Jiri Ostry
Production Designer: Petr Kunc
Czech Production Manager : Jiri Kotlas
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Lada Lahoda @ Filmca

Editor: Paul Hardcastle @ Trim
VFX: Redrum, Stockholm
Post Production Supervisor: Richard Lyons
Music & Sound Design: Michael Fakesch
Additional Sound Design: Tim Davis
Colorist: Jean-Clement Soret @ MPC London
UK Production Manager: Jemma Daniel

INTERACTIVE
Production Company: Stink Digital
Executive Producer: Mark Pytlik
Project Manager: Christophe Taddei
Lead Developer: Ian McGregor
Key Developers: Vincent Roman, Jamie Copeland, Matt Sweetman
Additional Development: Pierre L. Thiebaut
Design: Eric Chia
Title Sequence & Trailer: Maximiliano Chanan, Odin Church

Posted on Motionographer

Our previous post about Digital Kitchen’s work for the Seattle International Film Festival tickled my curiosity: How exactly were the animation rigs set up? How did they maintain control over the acetate layers?

So I asked DK if they’d be willing to share some making-of morsels, and they came through with the goods!

A little explanation from DK:

In executing the piece, we created a small set-up in our Seattle studio consisting of two rear-illuminated lightboxes made of 5 panes of glass layered on top of a diffusion layer. Each layer of glass had an element that was either animated frame by frame or was static to create the environment.

For example, a scene might have a layer of diffusion, a painted layer, a layer of characters that we could articulate, and a layer of organic materials, etc. that created the environment. We mounted a Canon Rebel XSi over animation stands, and connected directly to a Mac Pro workstation running the stop-motion software Dragon.

DK also acknowledges their inspiration for the project:

DK developed an approach that not only fit within the overarching campaign, but celebrated the hand-made qualities of early stop motion animation as well as the universality and diversity of SIFF – films from around the world that range from the highest production value to the most raw, stripped down filmmaking.

In doing so, DK sought to pay homage to one of the oldest feature-length films, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, by German animator Lotte Reiniger, and also drew inspiration from the work of Jamie Caliri, Kara Walker, Kim Keever, and the Quay Brothers.

Check out the finished project on Digital Kitchen’s site.

Posted on Motionographer

Reprising last year’s hilarious work for the Seattle International Film Festival, Digital Kitchen has again teamed up again with SIFF films to create a brilliantly inventive trailer and commercial.

This year’s rendition builds on audio sampled from previous SIFF films to create a disjointed steam-of-consciousness narrative. The visuals are lush, jewel-toned dreams rendered by hand in acetate, paper cut out and ferns(!). I only wish I could see this on the big screen.

2009 is really shaping up to be the year of analogue. Digital post-production finishing adds layers of needed polish, but analoge animation techniques are really experiencing a renaissance. Fun times!

Posted on Motionographer

I love it when everything falls into place, when the hot potato is passed elegantly from hand to hand along the creative chain. When it works, it looks something like this new spot for Sprint, created to launch the broadcast portion of a campaign masterminded by Goodby, Silverstein and Partners.

Continuing along the vein of their previous Sprint work, Superfad rocked the graphics tip in this anthem. The engine of this thing is its impeccable timing—the voiceover, visuals and sound design (Human) move at a confident click that delivers punchlines with tick-tock surety.

The density is just right: enough to justify repeat viewing, but not enough to make you scratch your head.

Posted on Motionographer