Hasta La Motion!

Studio AKA (London) tells the history behind the building of the TSB bank through this beautiful piece.

Combining the hand crafted artistry of 2D character animation within a stunningly integrated use of 3D CGI sets, the journey through time is reflected in the film’s opening shot; an unbroken take which lasts a whopping 95 seconds.

Check out some of the process below. Plus, there’s a 2-part interview on the D&AD website.

Written by – Marc Craste and Damon Collins
Client: TSB
Paul Pester
Catherine Kehoe
Mike Regnier
Terry McParlane

Agency: Joint London
Creative Director – Damon Collins
Producer – Matt Keen

Music: Anne Dudley
Sound Design: Factory

Production Company: Studio AKA
Writer/Director: Marc Craste
Producer: Nikki Kefford-White
Character Design: Steve Small
Additional Art Direction: Dave Prosser
Previsualisation: Christian Mills, Anna Kubik
Supervising Animators: Steve Small, Michael Schlingmann
2D Animators: Peter Dodd, Sharon Smith, Nicolette van Gendt
2D Assistant Animators: Nick Appleton, Gerry Gallego, Freya Hotson, Simon Swales, Margot Tsakiri-Scanatovits, Justine Waldie, Jonathan Wren
2D Paint: Eamonn O’Neill, Kristian Andrews, Gemma Mortlock
2D Compositing: Michael Schlingmann
Supervising CG Artists: James Gaillard, Christian Mills
Modelling & Texturing: Adam Avery, Sara Diaz, Will Eager, Vincent Husset, Raymond Slattery
Rigging: Adam Avery
Lighting, Rendering & Compositing: James Gaillard, Daniel Garnerone, Alex Holman, Christian Mills, Will Eager, Cristobal Infante
Simulation & FX: Cristobal Infante
3D Animators: Boris Kossmehl, Fabienne Rivory, Marie Verhoeven, Lucas Vigroux
Technical Director: Fabrice Altman
Editor: Nic Gill
Production Co-ordinator: Ren Pesci
Production Assistant: Alli Albion

Posted on Motionographer

Following up on Johnny Kelly’s insanely successful “Back to the Start” stop-action film for Chipotle is not an easy task. The project mopped up at award shows and was a crowd favorite. Its analogue technique meaningfully echoed Chipotle’s message of bucking factory farming and technologically-powered “progress” for a more hands-on approach to food.

Louisiana-based Moonbot Studios, who won an Academy Award for the short, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore” and set the gold standard for interactive storybooks with the accompanying Morris Lessmore iPad app, was up for the challenge.

Their recently released “The Scarecrow” echoes many of the same themes as “Back to the Start,” and its soundtrack also features a cover of a famous song performed by an unexpected artist. While “Back to the Start” had Willie Nelson singing Coldplay, in “The Scarecrow” Fiona Apple sings “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The effect is equal parts haunting and magical.

It’s also worth noting that Moonbot’s film is entirely CG. A helpful reader added some detail in the comments:

“Moonbot’s film is entirely CG” isn’t entirely accurate, the barn and the kitchen interior were built as miniatures, filmed, and composited into the CG scenes.

Where “Back to the Start” shined a bright light on the hand-crafted nature of its production, “The Scarecrow” dives deeper into its protagonist’s life. While both films are emotionally powerful, “The Scarecrow” feels more like a mini-feature film, executed with the same scale and grandeur as a Pixar film.

Scarecrow: The Game

Keeping with the Morris Lessmore formula, Moonbot Studios also created an iOS game to accompany “The Scarecrow.” From Moonbot:

Created in collaboration with Chipotle Mexican Grill, “The Scarecrow” is an arcade-style adventure game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and a companion animated short film. Both pieces depict a scarecrow’s journey to bring wholesome food back to the people by providing an alternative to the processed food that dominates his world.

Posted on Motionographer

New Zealand-based Assembly strikes again, showing their incredible range for agency Draft FCB and insurance company NZI.

Whether you focus on the craftsmanship of each shot or the comic timing of each vignette, the spot holds up to repeat viewing. The lighting alone had me scrubbing back and forth like mad.

For more about Assembly, read our in-depth interview with the crew.

Posted on Motionographer

“A balloon dog is lost in a world of danger. One wrong step and his dancing days are done. Only love, and tango, can possibly save him.”

Sam Stephens and Christopher Mauch (Hyrda) co-directed this charming short about a pair of balloon animals in love. It’s one of those sweetly told tales that ticks along effortlessly, bringing you and your smile with it.

The audio is a huge component of this short. Joe Miuccio’s sound design pumps up the comedy while the original score from Michael Hewett and Matt Nakoa undulates and contorts as playfully as the main characters. Superb work.

Produced by Humble.

Posted on Motionographer

Intimidated by character animation? Don’t be! Giovanni Braggio shows you just how easy it is.

Hat tip to Danica Perry.

Posted on Motionographer