The principals of design-focused production studio Leviathan are very proud to detail their collaborations with advertising agency Factory Design Labs (www.factorylabs.com) on behalf of Callaway Golf Company. rnrnSupporting the launch of Callaway Golf’s new line of RAZR Fit Xtreme(TM) Drivers, X Hot(TM) Drivers, Fairway Woods and Irons, numerous TV spots and brand films have recently debuted on targeted media outlets and Callaway’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/Callaway). The first TV spots (many others are currently in the production pipeline) feature live-action cinematography of PGA TOUR professionals captured using Red and Phantom digital camera systems on locations in Dallas and Orlando under the direction Supply & Demand director Josh Taft. For those location shoots, Leviathan principal and chief technologist Matt Daly joined the crews as visual effects supervisor.rnrnMeanwhile in Leviathan’s Chicago studio, the company’s creative director Bradon Webb, 3D lead Nathan Davies, lead VFX artist and compositor Chris Beers and 2D lead David Brodeur were part of the extensive team on the end-to-end design, animation and visual effects aspects elevating the visual, artistic, branding and storytelling aspects of these spots – as well as several other new Callaway product films and still renderings that are 100% CG. In each of these spots and product films, the full talents of Leviathan’s artists are evident, revealing the technology behind Callaway’s new products, adding on-screen visual elements that dramatize the action, creating the animated titles, end tags and mnemomics, and a great deal more. rnrn”A primary concern for everyone was ensuring that the VFX would highlight and not obscure the technology,” Webb began. “These clubs have an insane amount of technology behind them that makes them perform in a specific way. Highlighting that became our biggest challenge. In several cases that required us to literally explode the product to show interior parts and things that would not be visible from the exterior. Factory Design Labs came to us with some ideas and sketches of how this conceptually could work. It was then up to our design team to actually implement and innovate on the plan.”rnrn
rn“RAZR Fit Xtreme” TV SpotrnrnLeviathan earned its first assignments for Factory Design Labs in 2011, and the studio’s craftsmanship on those high-profile projects earned it the role as one of their partners for design, CG and VFX for the agency’s 2013 campaign for Callaway. “Earning the opportunity to develop and apply extraordinary design and VFX solutions for Callaway is one of the most exciting things to happen for our company so far,” confirmed Leviathan’s executive producer Chad Hutson. “Knowing our contributions need to represent Callaway as the world-class leader moving into the future, we are pouring ourselves into perfecting the brand’s look across all media platforms.”rnrn
rn“X Hot Irons” TV SpotrnrnFor its campaign contributions, Leviathan’s artists principally use Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe After Effects and The Foundry’s Nuke. “In CG everything starts out paper thin and you have to extrude objects to give them dimension and reality,” Webb added. “In some cases shots are turning out so successfully that they are becoming key aspects of the stories being told.”rnrn
rn
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More