Hasta La Motion!

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/terminator_skull_thumb.jpg”]18937[/NEWS]‘Terminator Salvation’, the fourth in the Terminator film series, is being touted as a science fiction post-aolcalypitc war film, and is the creation of American director McG. ‘The Terminator’, released in 1984 and directed by James Cameron, was followed by two film sequels and a TV series: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Now with talk of two further instalments in the pipeline and Christian Bale signing up for a total of three Terminator films; things look promising for a second Terminator trilogy. ‘Terminator Salvation’ is set in post-apocalypic 2018, where John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of terminators.

But the future that Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marucs Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past.

As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Visual Effects for the movie were undertaken by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), with Asylum fx and Rising Sun Pictures bringing their skills to various sequences.

Speculation has been rife on the subject of Arnold Schwarzenneger, the original terminator, making a cameo appearance in the film. Recent comments from director McG indicate that he is working hard with ILM to bring Arnie back in digital form only.

Wishing to avoid comparisons with the Transformers franchise, McG has stated “Transformers is an excellent movie, but our film is not about big robots. I wanted it to have lots of hardware and velocity, but I didn’t want to hang the whole movie on it.”

In addition to the brilliant CG work generated for ‘Terminator Salvation’, McG contracted Stan Winston studios to create real life models of some of the terminator characters that the human cast could interact with.

Stan Winston, the special effects pioneer who designed the original Terminator endoskeleton, worked on Terminator Salvation prior to his death in June last year. McG intends to dedicate the moive to Winston’s memory.

Joseph “McG” McGinty Nichol is a film & tv producer and director. His previous work includes the blockbuster film ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and notable commercials for GAP and Coca-Cola.

Terminator Salvation will be released in the US on 22 May and in the UK on 5 June 2009. It will compete for box office success with the forthcoming Star Trek, also due for release in May 2009.

About Industrial Light & Magic
Since 1975, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has been providing post-production visual effects services to the entertainment industry. Motion pictures, commercials, trailers, music videos and special venue projects have utilized ILM’s unequalled artistry in techniques such as model making, matte painting, computer-generated imagery, digital animation and a variety of related processes required in the production of visual effects.

Groundbreaking software required for digital image production has been developed and shared with the industry at large and adopted by other companies and software manufacturers. ILM regularly consults with some of the industry’s most highly regarded filmmakers on proof of concept tests. ILM has been associated with fourteen movies which have earned the Oscar for Best Visual Effects and has been awarded seventeen technical achievement awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

CAST
Christian Bale – John Connor
Anton Yelchin – Kyle Reese
Sam Worthington – Marucs WRight
Bryce Dallas Howard – Kate Connor
Moon Bloodgood – Blair Williams
Common – Barnes
Jadagrace – Star
Helena Bonham Carter – Serena
Roland Kickinger – T-800
Chris Ashworth – Richter
Chris Browning – Morrison
Jane Alexander – Virginia
Michael Ironside – General Ashdown
Linda Hamilton – voice
Michael Papajohn – Carnaham
Beth Bailey – Lisa
Anjul Nigam – Rahul
Babak Tafti – Malik

CREDITS
Director – McG
Producers – Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek, Jeffrey Silver & Moritz Borman
Original Music – Danny Elfman
Cinematography – Shane Hurlbut
Production Design – Martin Lain
Distribution North America – Warner Bros
Distribution International – Sony Pictures Entertainment

RELATED LINKS
http://terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com
http://www.ilm.com/
http://www.rsp.com.au
http://www.asylumfx.com

Words:
CGNews Network

Sources:
Terminator Salvation official website
The Playlist
Comingsoon.net

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/etrade_wings_thumb1.jpg”]18935[/NEWS]The challenge with the E-Trade baby is – as it is with any well established (and loved) character – to move him on without losing the qualities that endeared him in the first place. Agency Grey Worldwide (NY) and Director Randy Krallman for Smuggler have done this triumphantly in two new spots that they unveiled during the 2009 Super Bowl. 401K and Wings both feature our youthful hero (voiced, as previously, in a superbly laid-back performance by the director) but in each case there is a second character – a golfing rival and a keen amateur vocalist.

To add more would be to spoil the fun, but suffice to say that the droll tone is once more note perfect. Senior Flame Artists Alex Thomas and Raul Ortego led Framestore’s efforts, supported by Tom Leckie and Mindy Dubin.

About Framestore
Framestore has been working in digital film and video for over 20 years now, creating original and astonishing work that has helped make it the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe.

Amongst Framestore’s notable commercial credits are Smirnoff Sea (winner 2007 VES ‘Visual Effects in a Commercial’, The Chemical Brothers The Salmon Dance, Casino Royale – Title Sequence, Vauxhall C’mon campaign , Sure Go Wild, Guinness noitulovE, Johnnie Walker Fish, Levi’s Odyssey and Guinness Surfer.

CREDITS
Agency: Grey Worldwide
Chief Creative Officer: Tor Myhren
Executive Creative Director: Noel Cottrell
Creative Director: Paul Behnen
Executive Producer: Alison Kunzman
Art Directors: Paul Behnen, Amy Ferguson
Copywriters: Eli Terry, Randy Krallman
Agency Executive Producer: Bennett McCarroll
Agency Producer: Alison Horn
Production Company: Smuggler, New York
Director: Randy Krallman
Editorial: Joshua Berger @ Cosmo Street
Visual Effects: Framestore
Graphics: Speedshape
Audio: Sound Lounge

RELATED LINKS
www.framestore.com

www.grey.com

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/fantasyfactory_thumb.jpg”]18801[/NEWS]LA-based directing collective and design/animation group Syndrome just rolled out the show open for Rob Dyrdek’s new MTV show Fantasy Factory. The graphically explosive sequence shows renowned street skater Rob Dyrdek bouncing rapidly through a colorful fantasyland of pipes, ramps, and funnels leading from city streets to twisting pipeworks to the mouth of a lion, among other incredible scenes. Dyrdek’s mascot, Meaty – a mainstay from his original show, Rob and Big – of course accompany him on this rapid-fire montage, joined by new puppy and sidekick Beefy.

To capture this dynamic graphical world, Syndrome shot Dyrdek against a greenscreen and transposed him over the boarded-out scenes. The idea was to create a video that symbolized the free-flowing thoughts in Rob’s head as they materialized in a stylized fashion, capturing his vivid imagination.

Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, which launched on MTV on Feb. 8, revolves around a fantasy warehouse in Los Angeles loaded with an incredible skate park, a giant skate ramp launching into a foam pit, a basketball court, Dyrdek’s office loaded with his massive collection of skate decks, and “Corpo,” a corporate office on the second floor that houses his lawyer, toy designer, and executives, among others. Dyrdek will include a whole cast of characters, including an SUV named Stormtrooper, a three-wheeled car named T-Rex that can outrace a Ferrari, and, of course, his dogs Meaty and Beefy.

The Creds:
Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory: Main Title and Show Package Design
Air Date: February 2009
Network: MTV

Concept/Design/VFX: Syndrome

About Robot Films:
Robot Films is a Los Angeles-based creative lab producing music videos, feature and short film, web content, TV and commercials. Lead by veteran Founder/Director Chris Robinson and Executive Producer Amanda Fox, Robot offers a wide range of services, boundless energy, and vast experience . In addition, Robot houses directing collective and design/animation group, Syndrome who are prolific directors and often collaborate on Robot directed jobs. Syndrome is a multi-disciplined trio comprised of Directors/Designers Micah Hancock, James Larese, and Mars Sandoval. Syndrome’s primary focus is merging science with soul, and manipulating technology for the sake of creative growth and artistic expression.

RELATED LINKS
www.robotfilmcompany.com

www.syndromestudio.com

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/supermodel_thumb.jpg”]18738[/NEWS]The second season of the hit Bravo series Make Me a Supermodel is strutting onto the scene with promos shot and directed by bi-coastal Crossroads Branding + Promotion. The provocative clips feature a rich montage of host Tyson Beckford, Nicole Trunfio, and the show’s models posing in front of huge rear projections of New York architecture. The models’ confessionals — a staple of the show’s improvised style — play in voiceover as the models move across the screen.

The eye-catching :30s feature B&W still photographs of the New York skyline, bridges, streets and landmarks, vividly contrasting the brightly attired foreground models. Crossroads director Glenn Lazzaro sought to showcase America’s fashion capital, where the show is set, by mixing architectural photography and live-action in a stylized, arresting way.

Crossroads has produced dozens of Bravo campaigns over the past four years, including promos for Top Chef and Shear Genius. The second season of Make Me a Supermodel debuts Wednesday, March 4, at 10 p.m. EST on Bravo.

About Crossroads Branding + Promotion:
Crossroads is a creative services agency that delivers award-winning branding and promotion for broadcast and entertainment clients. It has recently produced shiny new campaigns for Bravo, CBS, ESPN, Lifetime, HGTV, ABC, and other fine networks.

With its sister company Headlight, a creative design studio, Crossroads offers full-service brand solutions. Both are divisions of Crossroads Films, a multimedia company with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and London.

The Creds:
Client: Bravo
Spot Title: Make Me A Supermodel Promos
Air Date: February 2009

Agency: Bravo On-Air Promotion
VP Brand Strategy/CD: Trez Thomas
VP: Amy Troiano
CD: Justin Reichman
Graphics Designer: Fran Chamberlain
Senior Writer/Editor/Producer: Craig Shannon

Prod Company: Crossroads Branding + Promotion
Director: Glenn Lazzaro
EP: Dean Winkler
DP: Pierre Rouger

Art Director: Richard Piekos
Post Production Supervisor: Brett Karley
Producer: Bettina Schneider
Production Manager: Logan Luchsinger

Shoot Location: Silvercup Studios, NYC

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/special_guest_thumb.jpg”]18710[/NEWS]Special Guest, the multi-talented sibling of 1st Avenue Machine, recently summed up the company’s eclectic creative spirit with an 80-second stop-motion style animated film entitled “Special Guest: The Journey.” The film is the debut for the studio’s newest addition, Director Vinicius Costa. In the studio’s tradition of having new directors create a film based on their idea of The Special Guest, Vinicius Costa created “Special Guest: The Journey” The film employs the metaphor of travel using a neatly-packed suitcase to reveal the company’s diverse and multi-faceted capabilities.

“I was visiting New York on business, and saw an interesting book on perfect packing,” says the Brazil-based Costa. “It occurred to me that just looking at someone’s luggage could tell you a lot about the owner’s personality. The idea stayed with me, and I started thinking of Special Guest as a suitcase full of unique techniques, options, and creative styles, all right there for the taking.”

Opening with a full-screen shot of neatly folded shirts and other apparel, “Special Guest: The Journey” widens out to reveal the scene on a t-shirt. A pair of arms reach forward to deftly fold the t-shirt and place it in a suitcase. As the camera pans to the left, the suitcase extends to reveal a wide variety of brightly patterned shirts.

The shot continues smoothly as the patterns begin to interact with one another. A chest pocket opens like a door before emitting a long blue ribbon which just as quickly becomes a roadway complete with moving cars. Surrounding patterns spring to life, revealing moving airplanes and trains, as cars attempt to park between the black keys on a keyboard. The scene changes to one of dimly illuminated space before changing utterly to reveal a doorknob.

“In keeping with the theme of luggage and travel, I started working with hotel elements,” says Costa. “I came up with a doorknob tag in the shape of a G, sort of like a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. I knew I had an important symbol that would connect the video together.”

Drawing out from the doorknob, viewers are presented with a tiny person ready to enter a tiny doorway on the giant doorknob. As the door opens, the epic music swells and the camera drifts upwards to reveal a colorful, whimsical environment that seems equal parts Salvador Dali and Monty Python. Brilliantly colored, illustrative images combine with flying beds and pink jellyfish, and precede a cartoon-like rendering of the company name backed by rays of heavenly light puncturing clouds. No sooner is the scene complete than the camera pulls back to reveal a Special Guest t-shirt, which is duly folded and placed in a suitcase, bringing “Special Guest: The Journey” to a close.

“While in New York, I also saw the incredible Salvador Dali show at the Museum of Modern Art,” says Costa. “It blew me away and inspired me to combine my illustrative techniques with elements of surrealism. Back in Brazil, I enlisted the help of my colleagues at Studio Animatorio to put all of this together. It was a big challenge, because we used so many techniques and styles to create a very unusual scene. I wanted all the elements to be realistic in their interactions with each other, but I also wanted a playful feel. In the end, the film is so packed with details that it needs repeated viewings. Since it begins and ends with the same shot, I liked the feeling of it turning into an infinite loop, a symbol of Special Guest’s renewable talent.”

ABOUT SPECIALGUEST
Based in Manhattan, SpecialGuest is a new creative studio stemming from the talented minds of New York’s 1st Avenue Machine (www.1st-ave-machine.com ). SpecialGuest’s declared commitment is to create more tactile animation that is both funny and weird. SpecialGuest brings a light touch to a wide range of organic animation techniques and styles. More information may be found at www.specialguest.tv

RELATED LINKS
www.specialguest.tv
www.1stavemachine.com