A collaboration between NBC Artworks and Nathan Love, this short animation explores the origins of the NBC logo. According to Joe Burrascano, Nathan Love’s owner and creative director, “The brief was to create a stand-alone logo animation for NBC. The only guidelines were to make it our own, and of course, for it to be ‘the best logo ever.

FULL PROJECT CREDITS

Project Name: Nathan Love’s “NBC Peacock”
Project Length: :34
Client: NBC Artworks
Production Company: Nathan Love
Director: Nathan Love
Creative Director: Joe Burrascano
Art Director/Designer: Anca Risca
Animation & Rigging: Dan Vislocky
Additional Animation: Ryan Moran
VFX Compositing: Sylvia Apostol
Sound Design & Music: Drew Skinner

Lunar Films Teams with Nathan Love and Hopr for J. Walter Thompson Shanghai’s Fantasy Westward Journey TV Campaign

NEW YORK and SHANGHAI – World-class animation studio Nathan Love (www.NathanLove.com) is very proud to detail its collaborations with director Willis Wong, Lunar Films and Hopr in producing two broadcast/web spots for J. Walter Thompson Shanghai and their clients at NetEase.  The innovative spots starring celebrity Jay Chou and promoting Fantasy Westward Journey, one of China’s most popular online games, recently debuted in high-profile broadcast and cable outlets across China.

The first spot brings Fantasy Westward Journey to life in the real-world, featuring Chou, sitting on the steps of the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center, playing the game on his laptop computer as others pass by.  Soon, Chou and the strangers around him transform into videogame characters and battle each other on the streets.  A second “Promo” spot features the videogame version of Chou performing some of his famous dance moves.  For the agency, the project was led by creative director Fei Wei and art director Kevin Huang.

Serving Wong and director of photography Terry Shen as the production company for the project, in partnership with Lunar Films’ executive producer Ken Yap and producer Ace Tan, Nathan Love’s team was involved from the pre-production stage, helping select locations, planning the shoot, and leading all the animation.  “This is our first spot involving live-action visual effects with a combination of CG characters and animation,” said Joe Burrascano, Nathan Love’s owner and creative director.  “Getting more involved in live-action has been a major goal for our studio, so we were extra excited about the opportunity.  This project is a great first step in that direction, and we look forward to building on the experience.”

Due to the project’s considerable challenges and tight delivery deadline, Burrascano and his colleagues jumped right into organizing the project’s workflow.  Based upon the scripts and storyboards, they sorted their needs from the live-action 35mm film shoot in Shanghai, and engaged the artists from NYC-based Hopr to serve as on-set VFX supervisors during the shoot.  “By approaching this project as the VFX supervisor, we were able to better plan and control our methods for completing both spots,” Burrascano added.  “Hopr not only helped us get exactly what we needed from the set, in the end, they also provided VFX artistry ranging from clean-up, sky replacements, color grading, and compositing.”

Many of the models for the animated characters were based on existing videogame designs, and Nathan Love’s charge was to take the animation and final renderings to a new level, and make them work with the real-world environment.  “Because of the popularity of the game, the modeling and animation were held up to a microscope during every review, so attention to detail was very important,” explained Michael Harry, Nathan Love’s executive producer. 

After packing its studio with 20 additional artists, Nathan Love’s assembled crew worked through every project detail in Autodesk Maya, striving to create a visually astounding, action-packed spot rivaling the game itself.  For each character’s wardrobe and weaponry, substantial simulations were created to bridge the gap between the videogame’s designs and real world physics.  The final steps in the animation pipeline involved a frame-by-frame clean-up and color grade, before the content was passed along to the artists at Hopr, who used eyeon Software’s Fusion for final compositing. 

“Fantasy Westward Journey TV” from Nathan Love on Vimeo.

Project Name: “Fantasy Westward Journey TV”
Running Time: :30, :15
Film Location: Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center, Shanghai
Debut Date: July 7, 2010 (China only)

Agency: JWT Shanghai
Creative Director: Fei Wei
Art Director: Kevin Huang

Production Company (Shanghai): Lunar Films
Director: Willis Wong
Director of Photography: Terry Shen
Executive Producer: Ken Yap
Line Producer: Ace Tan

Production Company (U.S.): Nathan Love
Animation Director, VFX Supervisor: Nathan Love
Creative Director: Joe Burrascano
Executive Producer: Mike Harry
Producer: Dennis Samatulski
Project/Rigging Lead: Frank Naranjo
Animation Lead: Scott Douglas
3D Animators: Gordana Fersini, David Han, Kyle Mohr, Ryan Moran, Doug Litos, John Velazquez, Andrew Boccio
2D Animators: Hopr
Rigging: Silje Nilsen, Vadim Kiyaev, Zhenting Zhou, Carlos Sandoval
Lighting and Rendering Lead: Jon Lee
Lighting Artists/Rendering TDs: Isaiah Palmer, Richard Kim, Mats Andersson
Character Modeler: Bryan Eck
Additional Modelers: Youngmin Kim, Isaiah Palmer, Denis Kozyrev, Arsen Arsumanyan
Texturing: Bryan Eck, Christina Ku, Jon Lee
FX Artist: Mothana Hussein, Arsen Arsumanyan
Fur TD: Andy Guttormsson
Cloth TD: Carlos Sandoval
Pipeline Lead: Stephen Mackenzie
Pipeline TDs: Jesse Clemens, Jessica Monteiro, Mikael Spade

Editorial/VFX Company: Hopr
Editor: Hopr
On-Set VFX Supervisor: Hopr
Compositing Lead: Hopr

Music Company: Hush Studio

Sound Design Company: Studio PMPS & Hush Studio
Sound Designers: Jason Choi (PMPS) & Jeff Shen (HuSH)

Final Mix Company: Hush Studio
Mixer: Jeff Shen

Principal On-Camera Talent: Jay Chou

Complete project credits are available upon request.

“These collaborations with our friends in China and Singapore have opened up some new opportunities for us, and for the agencies and clients we’re working with,” Burrascano concluded.  “We look forward to a long and productive partnership.”

For more information on Fantasy Westward Journey, please visit http://xyq.163.com.

About Nathan Love
Break out the crayons and beer, because Nathan Love is ready to play! This world-class animation studio is known for creating memorable characters, detailed worlds and engaging narratives, making it a party and inviting your whole crew. Driven by a passion for storytelling, their creative, technical and production capabilities are constantly evolving. Equally at home creating sensational 2D and 3D animation, the studio’s talents span all aspects of project creation and production. They are creators of commercial campaigns, original films, super-fun web content, video game projects, merchandise and more. Besides their extraordinary craftsmanship Nathan Love is also fun and inviting to work with, enjoying daily collaborations with leading creatives, live-action and CGI directors, sound designers, composers, web developers and other artists. So next time you’re dreaming-up a project, drop your briefcase and join the fun at www.NathanLove.com.

About Hopr
Hopr is an award-winning design studio, creating content for commercials, feature films, installations, and video game cinematics. The studio’s principals include Chris DiFiore, Rodrigo de la Parra, and Makoto Sato. For more information, please visit www.hopr.tv.

About Lunar Films
Established in 2004, Lunar Films is regarded as a leading creative production house in China. The Lunar Films team consists of people and talents from different continents all sharing an unwavering belief that the world of film presents no boundaries. Diverse in culture but united in belief, Lunar Films seeks creations that move the heart. Experienced in local as well as international projects, our ambition, creativity and drive continue to spur the company toward greater achievements. For more information, please visit www.lunarfilms.tv.

The filmmakers from U.S. creative production company Shilo are very proud to announce their role in producing an engaging new broadcast/web spot for Mountain Dew’s new Green Label Art Shop Series campaign.  This project was directed by Shilo’s Evan Dennis, who worked in close collaboration with creative director David Hohman, art director Campbell Hooper and their colleagues from integrated marketing agency TracyLocke to create compelling content authentically supporting Mountain Dew’s innovative campaign and the all-star talents assembled.
 
The :30 broadcast/web spot promotes Mountain Dew’s new signature product design from professional skater, actor and artist Paul Rodriguez and famed artist Don Pendleton.  Meticulously crafted by Dennis and the other artists of the Emmy-winning Shilo, the spot artfully blends stunning, street skateboarding cinematography with mesmerizing animation brought to life from Pendleton and Rodriguez’s original designs.  Now appearing on broadcast media outlets across the U.S., the spot invites viewers to vote for one of 35 label designs online at www.greenlabelart.com, where the most popular design will appear nationwide later this summer.
 
Also available online at www.youtube.com/greenlabelart, the spot is being screened at all stops of the 2010 Dew Tour’s Skate Open, International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) Skateboarding World Championships as well.  More information on the Dew Tour is available online at www.allisports.com/alli/skate.
 
“I was thrilled to have this opportunity to work so closely with an amazing duo like Paul Rodriguez and Don Pendleton,” Dennis began.  “I’ve been skateboarding my entire life, and it has been a huge factor in who I am as an artist and individual.  I’ve always been greatly inspired by the art, style and culture of skateboarding.”
 
Dennis also provided additional details on his design-infused storytelling approach to the creation of the spot.
 
“Paul has a unique ability to execute very complicated tricks with such style that he almost makes them look easy,” he explained.  “Since his collaboration with Don is the core of the story, everything we did on the locations and in the design and animation, was focused on showcasing that talent and translating Don’s artwork into a visual display of inspiration.”
 
Together with director of photography Max Goldman and a fast-moving crew ready to run and gun, Dennis spent a full day on LA-area locations from Pacoima to downtown and East LA, shooting Rodriguez skating the streets.  The team employed the RED One Digital Camera system, capturing their footage in 3K resolution for HD project finishing.  Colorist Tom Poole of Company 3 provided color-correction for the RED’s raw files, setting a look that Shilo’s artists then matched in the lighting and texturing of their designs and animation.
 
“We translated the geometric shapes and characters of Don’s artwork as a reflection of Paul’s skateboarding, thus leaving behind graphical trails along ledges and rails driven by the angles of the trick, the board, and the skater,”  said Dennis.
 
Shilo’s artists also incorporated several new techniques into their pipeline.  Among those, their 2D animation was run through a 3D pipeline using Autodesk Maya, allowing them to extrude their animation in 3D space and give it a unique dimensional realism in the composite.
 
“We love taking risks and trying something new and original,” added Dennis.  “We really just wanted to have fun with it and reflect the sensibility of Paul, Don and Mountain Dew.”
 
The agency’s credits also include director of broadcast production Monica Victor and producer Kiri Carch.  The spot features the music track “The Funk” from artists Oh No.  Sound design was handled by Tom Goldblatt of Audioengine.  Complete project credits, and behind-the-scenes project details, are available upon request.

Check out the spot!

Mountain Dew “Green Label Art TV” :30 from Shilo on Vimeo.

Project Title: Mountain Dew “Green Label Art TV”
Length: :30, :15
Debut Date: 6/25/10
Film Locations: Filmed on locations in and around LA

Advertising Agency: TracyLocke
Creative Director: David Hohman
Art Director: Campbell Hooper
Director of Broadcast Production: Monica Victor
Producer: Kiri Carch
Account Director: Jim Ryan
Senior Account Executive: Andrew Spring

Production Company: Shilo
Director: Evan Dennis
Director of Photography: Max Goldman
Compositing: Gabriel Regentin
2D Animation: Gerald Soto, Helen Kim
CG Lead: Warren Heimall
3D Rigging and Animation: Henning Koczy
Additional 3D Animation: Richard Cayton
3D Modeling: Krzysztof Fus, Jesper Lindborg
3D Tracking: Steven Hill
3D Artist: Eric Xu
Storyboard Artist: Fred Fassberger
Roto Artists: Helen Kim, Adam Grabowski, David Marte
Editor: Eli Mavros
Assistant Editor: Hedia Maron
Producer: Mariya Shikher
Line Producer: Chris Palladino
Head of Production: Julie Shevach
Executive Producer: Tracy Chandler

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Tom Poole

Music: “The Funk” by Oh No

Sound Design/Mix Company: AudioEngine
Sound Designer/Mixer: Tom Goldblatt

VO Talent: Paul Rodriguez

About Shilo
Shilo is an Emmy Award-winning creative production company representing a group of filmmakers led by directors Jose Gomez and Andre Stringer. Internationally known for creating original and commissioned work that is powerful, provocative and visually extraordinary, Shilo’s deeply held passions for design-infused storytelling and their innovative applications of live-action, design, and animation techniques deliver breakthrough experiences for screens large and small. From its studios in New York and California, where recent projects have spanned short films, commercials and music videos, Shilo has the capacity and experience to originate ideas and handle all aspects of production. Shilo published its first book, We Make It Good, in 2007, and also also curates and produces content for the blog www.WeMakeItGood.com. Their sibling company WMIG is a creative think-tank offering services in ideation, writing, and art direction online at www.wmig.com. For more information, or to request a reel, please contact Tracy Chandler at +1.212.352.2044, or visit Shilo online at www.shilo.tv.

Name: Jonathan Richter

Country:

Job: Owner at Supermassive Studios

Url: http://www.supermassivestudios.com

About: Originally studied in music composition, my interest in design branched from a desire to create multimedia materials and promos for my musical projects. While attending my second year majoring in Visual Communication, I was hired by a small design house based on the strength of my still-developing portfolio. Eventually I found myself doing more and more freelancing work, so I decided to brand my solo work under Supermassive Studios with a mission to deliver amazing 3D/motion and video productions combined with interactive technologies.

Get Inspired by: Much of my inspiration is derived from film, music, and reading; specifically childhood science fiction and fantasy favorites from the 80′s. Though I’m not a fan of my drawing skills, I also find it pertinent to consistently sketch out my ideas with good-old-fashioned pencil and paper. On team projects, a solid dialogue with any interns and consultants involved is vital. I find that a large dry erase board and plenty of coffee are good friends to get the creative juices flowing in the right direction.

Spots
The Box: http://www.vimeo.com/6565177
Equinox: http://www.vimeo.com/7612484
Reel: http://www.vimeo.com/7612484

For these two :15 spots currently airing in Australia (only) for Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Nathan Love had the opportunity to work with multiple creatives at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. Under the creative direction of ACDs Mike Mazza and Mark Dunn and coordinated by producer Barbro Eddy, they teamed with art director Jason Warne and copywriter Steve Nathans on “Goals,” and art director Antonio Marcato and copywriter Thomas Kemeny on “Resolutions.” In the words of Nathan Love’s co-founder and creative director Joe Burrascano, who was recently featured in SHOOT Magazine’s 2010 New Directors Showcase, “These two spots posed the interesting challenge of creating believable paper elements in CG. In order to inform the process, our designer broke out some paper, tape and glue to construct real-life models of the shapes that would later be modeled and rigged in Maya.”

Along with paper, tape, glue and Maya, the studio’s project toolset also involved artful use of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia “Goals” from Nathan Love on Vimeo.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia “Resolutions” from Nathan Love on Vimeo.

FULL PROJECT CREDITS

Project Name: Commonwealth Bank of Australia “Goals” and “Resolutions”
Project Length: 2 x :15
Debut Dates: “Goals” 5/2/10, “Resolutions” 5/10/10 (Australia only)

Client: Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Ad Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
City/State: San Francisco, CA
Associate Creative Directors: Mike Mazza, Mark Dunn
Art Director (“Goals”): Jason Warne
Copywriter (“Goals”): Steve Nathans
Art Director (“Resolutions”): Antonio Marcato
Copywriter (“Resolutions”): Thomas Kemeny
Producer: Barbro Eddy

Production Company: Nathan Love
City/State: New York, NY
Director: Nathan Love
Creative Director: Joe Burrascano
Executive Producer: Mike Harry
Producer: Derrick Huang
Art Director: Morgan Schweitzer
Project Lead: Frank Naranjo
3D Animation Lead: Ryan Moran
3D Animators (“Resolutions”): David Han, Eric Bribiesca
2D Animators: Matt Lee (“Resolutions” only), Steig Retlin
Rigging: Vadim Kiyaev
Lighting & Rendering Lead: Denis Kozyrev
Texture/Lighting/Composite Artists: Denis Kozyrev, Richard Kim
Pipeline TDs: Stephen Mackenzie, Jesse Clemens
Modeling (“Goals”): Denis Kozyrev, Arsen Arzumanyan
Modeling (“Resolutions”): Youngmin Kim
Editing / After Effects: Kristjan Zaklynsky

Music:
“Goals”: Swamp Samba by Shawn Lee’s Ping Ping Orchestra
“Resolutions”: Courtesy of Getty Music

Final Mix Company: One Union Recording
City/State: San Francisco, CA
Mixers: Eben Carr and Andy Greenberg

Voiceover Company: RMK Voice Productions
City/State: North Sydney, NSW
Voiceover Artist: Andrew Carlton