Interactive Digital Signage System Anchors New Montreal Flagship Store
Montreal-based audio and VFX house, Boogie Studio recently handled CG character animation for an innovative in-store interactive display for Videotron – a leading telecommunications provider in Quebec. The project, called “Bar A Mobile”, was produced via advertising agency Sid Lee. Now installed in Videotron’s new flagship store in downtown Montreal, the system allows customers to interact with animated avatars via touch-screen displays embedded in the sales counters. Users select a suitable profile, (student, professional, head of the family, social butterfly, techno, globetrotter), and use it to find the right cell phone plan for their needs.
"We know Boogie Studio very well because of their outstanding audio work," said Christian Ayotte, creative director at Sid Lee, who led the project for Videotron. "We knew they had brought in top animation people. We had a very tight timeline so I needed a facility I could count on."
"Videotron wanted to create a unique experience for their customers," explained Sebastien Dostie, visual effects supervisor at Boogie Studio. "We created a little world, set in a park, and populated it with CG characters. Customers are introduced to the world of Videotron through the park and those characters."
The agency provided Boogie Studio with the concepts and profile information for each of the avatars. Boogie then created the models and textures, as well as designing the accessories and clothing for each of the characters. The facility relies on Autodesk’s Smoke for online editing and 3D effects and Maya for 3D animation.
Dostie explained that each avatar required about 10 animated clips, which had to link with one another. One of the challenges on the project was creating all of those assets on a tight schedule. "We suggested using motion capture to drive the animations, which was something that they had not done before," explained Dostie. "We brought the client on stage and they enjoyed and appreciated the process. They really liked the similarities to live-action directing."
Motion capture was handled at mo-cap stage Mobility Art. Boogie Studio added animation to the characters, rendered them and delivered the material to Montreal-based Nurun for programming.
"We had about a month and a half where we were working closely with the programmers," said Dostie. "As we were creating the content, they were finishing and polishing the interactions and the user experience based on feedback from focus groups. The main challenge for both sides was to be really quick and efficient in terms of turnaround so that we could keep the process moving."
The store, which opened in December, features six interactive tabletop displays where customers can interactively determine their cell phone service packages.
"We’re couldn’t be happier with their work," added Ayotte. "Boogie Studio has been in the ad world for a long time and they understand how flexible you have to be as projects evolve."
The Videotron project was one of the first for the company’s new visual effects division which opened last fall under the guidance of industry veterans Sebastien Dostie, Eric Gervais-Despres, Philippe Desiront and Eddy Chan. From its roots as an audio mixing house serving the commercial industry, Boogie Studio has grown to offer pre-vizualization, stereoscopic production, online editing, visual effects and motion graphics for commercial, broadcast and film clients.
About Boogie Studio
Founded by Benoit Martel, Andres Norambuena and Denis-êric Pedneault in 2006 as an audio production facility, Boogie Studio expanded in 2010 to offer state-of-the-art visual effects. Boogie Studio‘s mission is to provide comprehensive postproduction services for clients in the advertising, interactive and film industries. Along with three fully equipped audio mixing studios and video transfer services, Boogie Studio offers a high-end 2D and a stereoscopic 3D postproduction, online editing, and finishing. The studio boasts an award-winning talent base of artists, including stereo 3D pioneer Eric Gervais-Despres. Boogie Studios has served hundreds of clients including LG2, Sidlee, Ubisoft, Y&R, Rethink Vancouver, KBS+P, DDB Anderson Toronto, Cirque du Soleil, TVA Accas and Nurun. Boogie Studio is a privately held company based in Montreal, Canada. For more information, please visit www.boogiestudio.com.
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“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More