Hybrid human/animal creatures inhabit a bar, the initial focus being on a pair of chatty women–an ostrich and a giraffe lass who gossip about a friend who got a nose job for “medical reasons.”
Turns out the cosmetic surgery patient was a rhino whose horn is bandaged.
The ostrich notes that she has no problem with a little customization, which segues to her customizing the giraffe’s glass of water with a shot of MiO flavored energy drink.
Mixed into the action are some humorous exchanges with a crocodile guy and at the very end a hybrid creature who sports quite an atypical boob job.
Directed by the Psyop collective, the spot for agency TAXI, New York, is a mesh of disciplines.
Avoiding the mechanical output that often comes with traditional motion capture techniques, Psyop instead interpreted the live action performances, translating them into the world of the spot. This gave Psyop’s animators creative freedom to sculpt performances and massage comedic timing.
The spot’s lush look is the result of a novel approach to production that effectively dissolves the line between live action and animation.
“Approaching a full CG spot with a live action mentality led us to an entirely new place,” said creative director Eben Mears of Psyop.
Instead of shooting live action video plates on set, Psyop shot high resolution stills. These still images were then projected onto 3D geometry, creating a virtual set into which the 3D characters were later composited.
“There was a huge time savings in doing things this way,” explained Jon Saunders, creative director at Psyop. “We didn’t have to worry about tracking live action plates and getting our 3D cameras to match that movement. We just did all our camera moves in 3D and relied on our team of lighters and compositors to sell the look–which they did with flying colors.”
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More