Hasta La Motion!

This mock commercial is just too much fun not to share. I only wish real clients had the guts (pun intended) to fund this kind of work.

Cinesite created this project as a showcase for their artists. With superb comedic timing, lushly rendered animation and brilliant creature work, I’d say it’s a slam dunk. The short was written and directed by Animator Alvise Avati and produced by Animation Director Eamonn Butler.

Cinesite on the look development:

The look of the lunar environment is based on NASA film footage and actual lunar photography. Eamonn says, “At the start, the film is quite serious in tone and then it develops, becoming more dramatic as it progresses before ending on a surprise. To support this, the environment needed to be photo-realistic. We also wanted to push the animation and effects as far as we could to make the film as dramatic as possible before the payoff.

Tip o’ the hat to Todd Akita.

Written and Directed
Alvise Avati

Producer
Eamonn Butler

VFX Supervisor
Richard Clarke

Art Direction
Jean-David Solon

Concept Art
Andrea de Martis

Modelling and Rigging
Grahame Curtis
Royston Willcocks
Richard Boyle

Animation
Alvise Avati
Eamonn Butler
Peter Clayton
Tom O’Flaherty
Adam Bailey

Texture Artists
Nicolette Newman
Gary Newman

FX Animation
Andreas Vrhovsek
Luke Wilde

Lighting and Compositing
Zave Jackson
Nikos Gatos
Jonathan Vuillemin
Dan Harrod
Joel Bodin

Editorial
William Marshall-Wilkinson
Christopher Learmonth

Posted on Motionographer

MPC work wonders on this dark short directed by Alex Nicholson. enjoy…

®Creative studio Mill+, the concept, design and animation arm of renowned VFX company The Mill, has contributed its visually stunning cinematics to Activision’s blockbuster Call of Duty: Ghosts, the new installment in the global phenomenon Call of Duty® series. Led by Cinematics specialists at Infinity Ward, Mill+ collaborated with teams of elite designers and visual effects artists in both their Los Angeles and London studios to create the cinematics players started seeing on Nov. 5.

The team at Infinity Ward had a vision for how cinematics could further help to bring the new narrative to life. Developing the look in collaboration with The Mill led to a new and unique level of cinematics that is sure to captivate and immerse players into the experience.

The highly-stylized look was created from scratch, but reads as a hybrid of live-action and CG. High contrast, sharp shard-like shapes distinguish enemy Federation forces from the light and smoke elements that characterize the underdog Ghosts. Each cinematic delivers a story, with “Loki,” for example, depicting a clinical and clean outer space vista using reflections, lights, flare and spills of light, while “Legends Never Die” uses explosions, fire, smoke and fog, looking down at South America, then at city level in Caracas after the demise of the continent.

Mill+ Creative Director/Director Paul Mitchell, based in Los Angeles, drew upon over a decade’s worth of experience in design and visual effects. “The most intriguing aspect of Ghosts was the opportunity to combine storytelling with design and visual effects,” Mitchell says. “We created something unique to each based on the story Infinity Ward wanted to tell. Through the overall process, we made sure there was a cohesive look and feel.”

“This project owes so much to Infinity Ward’s vision and desire to raise the level of creative aesthetic,” Stephen Venning, Executive Director, Mill+ says. “The team wanted contemporary, unique graphics that would reflect the sophisticated storytelling. Working with his lead designers Ed Laag and Eugene Gauran, Mill+’s Mitchell built style frames and narratives that are comparable to anything you would see in a movie.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts is available now on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Windows PC, and will also be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this month.

“It’s about the fear of not reaching your goals, the fear to die without realizing your dreams.” New music video for nineteen year old Dream Koala‘s Odyssey, directed by Fabulous & Les Gentls Garcons. Beautiful 3d imagery in taking the viewer through surreal environments and epic landscapes.

Arcelor Mittal: The latest work from Montreal based SHED, a VFX and postproduction company bringing expertise and excellence to commercials, film and television.