Method Studios, the award-winning, international, visual effects house and a subsidiary of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., leapt at the opportunity to work on the ad campaign for Halo 4, the next release in Microsoft’s Xbox 360 flagship series. The commercial, entitled, “The Commissioning” is packed full with visual effects worthy of a sci-fi feature film. Method Studios previous work on the Halo spot “Deliver Hope” was honored with the VES Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in 2011.nn
nn”Gamers today expect to enter realistic worlds with near-photorealistic imagery, wholly immersive environments and feature-film level storytelling and the spot needed to convey the experience Halo 4 provides,” says Method’s EVP and Senior VFX Supervisor Dan Glass. “It’s an exciting challenge to deliver a level of visual effects not commonly seen in television advertising.”nnThe biggest task for the Method team with this Halo spot was the fast turnaround required for such a VFX-heavy ad. Once the shoot wrapped there were only four weeks of post production allotted before the delivery date. Detailed planning was therefore essential and 3D and matte painting teams prepped digital elements and sequences while VFX Supervisor, Benjamin Walsh was on set. Method’s seamless international workflow between artists in LA and Sydney helped insure that both a 95 second and 60 second spot were delivered on time. nnStefan Sonnenfeld founder and president of Method’s sister company, Company 3, performed the color grading at Company 3’s Santa Monica location through an efficient pipeline between the two facilities.nnGabby Gourrier, Method’s VP of Production and Senior EP concludes, “Method’s talented team has once again worked tirelessly to produce a beautifully crafted commercial. The tight deadline called for careful preparations and our dedication, and the skills refined during our previous Halo project, have really paid off.”nnCreditsnClient: Microsoft Xbox Product: Halo4 nSpot Title: “The Commissioning” nAgency: twofifteenmccannnChief Creative Officer: Scott Duchon; Associate Creative Director: Neil Bruce; Associate Creative Director: Joe Rose; Art Director: Jeremy Diessner; Producer: Alex Spahr; Director of Integrated Production: Tom Wright; Management Supervisor: Luke Lamson; Account Executive: Stephanie Scott; Business Director: Peter Goldstein;nnProduction Company: MJZnDirector: Nicolai Fuglsig; Executive Producers: Emma Wilcockson, David Zander; Line Producer: Suza Horvat; Director of Photography: Alwin Kuchler; Production Designer: Christopher GlassnnEditorial: Final CutnEditor: Eric Zumbrunnen; Assistant Editor: Scott Butzer; Executive Producer: Saima Awan; Producer: Jennifer Miller; nnOriginal Music: Neil Davidge ProductionsnComposer/Producer: Neil Davidge, Andrew Morgan Mixer: Andy Bradfield, 365 Artists Vocal: Claire TchaikovskynnSound Design: Brian Emrich, Trinitite StudiosnnTelecine: CO3nColorist: Stefan SonnenfeldnnVFX & Title Animation: Method StudiosnGabby Gourrier: VP of Production / Sr. EP; Stephanie Gilgar: EP / Head of Production; Bethan Thomas: VFX Producer; Marisa Bursteen: Production Coordinator; Benjamin Walsh: VFX Sup; Dominik Bauch: 2d Lead; Nordin Rahhali: DFX Sup Method Artists; Ryan Urban, Ian Holland, Jon Chesson, Sandro Blattner, Chris Bankoff, Chad Buehler, Jim Kuroda, Matt Wilson, John Stewart, Brett Reyenger, Zach Cole: Compositors; Aaron Neitz: Smoke; Benjamin Mattern, James Parris, Alejandro Castro: Animation; Jack Zaloga, Dan Letarte, Charles Trippe, Sergey Kosareff, Arrev Chantikian, James Kirk: FX; Johnny Diaz: Generalist; Dan Seddon, Charles Abou Aad, Aaron Vest, David Lo, Pol Chantsaramee, Marion Spates, Ili Chiang: Lighters; Sung-Churl Kim, Toshihiro Sakamaki, Chad Fehmie, Samuel Perez: Model; Josh Frontino, Frida Sahono-Jozwik, Ron Bushaw: Texture; Marc Berrouet, George Saavadera: Riggers; Pam Gonzales, Patricio Fernandez: Paint; Stephanie Sweeney: Roto Sup; Mark Duckworth: Roto; Andrรฉe Wallin, Danny Janevski, David Brochard, Marc Samson: Matte Painters; Fabio Zapata: Tracking Sup; Tom Stanton, Lauren Rogers, David Sudd, Luis Rodriquez, Apirak Kamian, Alex Tirasongkran, Juan Colon: Tracking; Mike Sausa, Pouyan Navid, Alex Gibbs, Bernard Crosland, Matthew Lee, Jessica Engels, Zack Laplant: Design; Jamie Souyer: Hero On Camera Talent; Political Leader: Terence Harvey; Captain Del Rio: Mark Rolston; Helmsman: Amdrei Butnarunn:60 specific creditsnMaster Chief Suit Fabrication: Blue Realm StudiosnOwner/Project Lead: Devin White; Lead Craftsman/Field Tech: Charlie Tighe; Lead Engineer: Walter GreennnFirst online airdate: 6/4/12 nFirst US broadcast airdate: 6/19/12 nnAbout Method StudiosnMethod Studios is an award-winning international visual effects group with facilities in Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, London and Australia. As an artist-driven company known for its creativity, the company services high-end feature film, commercial, television, games and motion graphics clients in the global marketplace. Built around an exceptional team of visual effects professionals, Method’s international facilities provide a full range of visual effects services including conceptual design, look development, on-set supervision, 3D animation/CGI, matte painting, compositing and finishing, and full stereoscopic workflow. With its global reach accented by its boutique accessibility, the company has the capacity to service its clientele wherever production is situated. www.methodstudios.com nnMethod Studios is part of Deluxe’s Creative Services Group, a close-knit group of facilities overseen by Stefan Sonnenfeld that includes Beast, Company 3, Deluxe NY, EFILM®, Method Studios, RIOT and Rushes, and leverages a comprehensive suite of end-to-end services, access to world-class artists, technical expertise and a tight infrastructure with global connectivity. Method Studios is wholly owned by Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. (www.bydeluxe.com), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. Contact:Media: Gail Laguna Deluxe Creative Services Group Contact Gail via email (323) 960-7372 Melissa Knight Method Studios & CO3 Contact Melissa via email
Contact:Tom Wright Director of Integrated Production twofifteenmccann Contact Tom via email Darlene Mach MJZ Contact Darlene via email
“ฦvolution” 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 ฦvolution, 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? ฦvolutionย suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence,ย ฦvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating โin the blink of an eyeโ the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called โprogressโ 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), Oscarยฎ... Read More