In this spot, a Lotto winner donates a sizeable portion of her jackpot to help monkeys at a sanctuary, turning a zookeeper-type into the manager of a five-star resort for primates, constituting part of a campaign from AMV BBDO, London, which shows hilariously over-the-top ways to splurge one’s Lotto winnings.
We see gorillas, chimps and/or orangutans getting full body massages, jet skiing, going ape on a golf driving range, even hot tubbing.
Directed by the Traktor collective from production house Partizan, the spot was advanced by the visual effects acumen of Framestore, London.
Framestore’s creative director, Mike McGee, provided on-set supervision to offer creative and technical solutions that complemented the directors’ vision in what was a complex VFX project completed over a short schedule. McGee then oversaw the VFX process back in Framestore’s headquarters to ensure high-end results were delivered on time.
“Monkey Sanctuary” was filmed using performers dressed in orangutan, chimpanzee and gorilla suits. Framestore’s 3D team, led by Simon French, created and animated face replacements for the chimp and orangutan by stamping animated faces over the actors’ suited faces to make for more exciting and realistic expressions. This started with modeling and texturing faces to match reference supplied by the directors and then matching the fur from the suits to create a seamless and convincing blend. Traktor wanted performances that reflected natural, anatomical monkey behavior rather than anthropomorphic expressions. So the 3D team combed natural history footage for references and matched them to the actors’ performances, mimicking how a real-life creature might behave in this scenario. The gorilla’s face was animatronic and so only required some augmentation in 2D, with the VFX team adding life to its eyes and expression to its brows. Face replacement work was blended in by finessing hairlines.
Lead animator Nigel Rafter, said: “Because we were working with monkey suited actors, we didn’t have a blank canvas. This meant we had to create realistic facial expressions that matched the actors’ performances. Once we’d established some basic subtle snout and mouth movement, the process just flew along. The next difficulty was in getting the rig to handle extremes: everything from a stretched pout with curved and puffed lips, to chewing mouths. But we managed to overcome these problems with a bit of 3D ingenuity.”
Park Pictures Signs Director Rachel Morrison
Park Pictures now represents director Rachel Morrison for commercial filmmaking. Morrison first came into prominence as a cinematographer, working on indie features, television, and blockbuster hits, which put her on the path toward her directing career. Her feature film directorial debut, “The Fire Inside,” is set for wide theatrical release by MGM on Christmas Day 2024.
Morrison has a background in photojournalism and a master’s degree from the American Film Institute. She made history as the first woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on “Mudbound,” directed by Dee Rees. Morrison was also the first woman to lens a Marvel film, “Black Panther.” She also served as cinematographer for hit movies like “Dope,” “Fruitvale Station,” and the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary “What Happened Miss Simone?”
As a director, Morrison has helmed many campaigns for brands like IKEA, Netflix, Gap, Michelob Ultra, Ford, a spot for Nissan starring Brie Larson, and a Coach ad starring Michael B. Jordan. She also directed many episodes of television for shows like “The Mandalorian,” “The Morning Show,” “American Crime Story: Impeachment,” “Hightown,” and “American Crime.”
“I believe in humanity above all else,” remarked Morrison. “Park Pictures similarly puts emotional and relatable storytelling first. Everyone I’ve met there is driven to push the envelope forward and create memorable and visual films. I’m excited to sign with Park and look forward to furthering my commercial career with them.”
Jackie Kelman Bisbee, founding partner of Park Pictures, added, “Her work is at once grounded and elegant. She deeply understands everyone’s process both behind the... Read More