The answer can sometimes be found by going back in time to one's roots. And this Liberty Group Limited spot, titled "The Answer," for Johannesburg agency FoxP2 does just that in a visual tour de force that winds its way back through the decades.
Visual effects studio Digital Domain teamed with director Adrian De Sa Garces of Velocity Films in Johannesburg and Cape Town on this reverse time-lapse piece which takes viewers from one of the most economically successful square miles in all of South Africa–the glittering jewel of commerce known as Sandton City–to show its creation as it sprung from the vision of Liberty investors in 1973. It's a remarkable evolution and transformation as we see from whence this development came and find that it was indeed built from the ground up.
The :60 is completely computer generated except for the live-action shot of the founders and their classic car at the very end of the spot. Director De Sa Garces and the Digital Domain ensemble, led by visual effects supervisor James Atkinson, set out to re-create the city blocks. As the original buildings were designed and built in a period pre-dating computer-assisted design (CAD), there were no CAD models, few blueprints, and in the ever-changing area, even Google Street View was out of date and didn't show the most current skyline.
Proving resourceful
So the Digital Domain had to be resourceful and fill in the considerable gaps to take viewers through a reasonably accurate trip through time. Digital Domain artisans took to the streets and skies of Johannesburg, surveying the five city blocks of Sandton City with photogrammetry and creating a 3D reconstructed model. From that data they were able to create CG buildings that they could then deconstruct–including dimensions, textures, workers, tools, props, piles of lumber, scaffolding and bricks, customized to each building.
Because the lighting and skies had to be continuously moving, the Digital Domain ensemble created time lapse clouds, realistic sunrises and weather changes, animating them along with the buildings. To create these effects, the team built a virtual sky and atmosphere in Terragen, an environmental simulation tool. This was augmented with time-lapse photography shot from atop the main office tower.
One of the most striking visuals in the piece is a time-lapse tree. To create that Digital Domain used SpeedTree, software that provides tools for procedurally growing trees.
The piece is a detailed, intricate story of how this patch of real estate grew from an unremarkable suburb of Johannesburg into one of the richest city blocks in all of South Africa.
“Challengers” Earns Actor-Producer Zendaya 2024 Gothams Spotlight Tribute
Emmy Award-winner Zendaya will receive the Gotham Film & Media Institute’s Spotlight Tribute for her performance as Tashi Donaldson in the Luca Guadagnino-directed film Challengers, at the 34th edition of The Gothams, taking place live and in person on Monday, December 2, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The Spotlight Tribute was created by The Gotham in order to recognize phenomenal efforts by individuals in film and television who captivated global audiences with the biggest projects of the year. With the Spotlight Tribute, The Gotham will honor Zendaya’s remarkable work as leading-actress and producer on the Amazon MGM Studios box-office hit that broke into the cultural zeitgeist, and was celebrated by critics and audiences worldwide.
“Zendaya’s magnetic portrayal of Tashi Donaldson in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers exemplifies the creative excellence that The Gotham celebrates,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham. “Her performances in Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, and Euphoria have made her one of the most captivating actors of her generation. Her multi-layered performance at the heart of Challengers earned widespread acclaim, including a nomination for Best Feature at this year’s Gothams. We look forward to honoring her work with our Spotlight Tribute.”
From Academy Award nominated visionary filmmaker Guadagnino, Challengers stars two-time Emmy winner Zendaya as Tashi Duncan (who becomes Tashi Donaldson after marrying Art Donaldson), a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to Art Donaldson (BAFTA nominee Mike Faist), a champion on a losing streak,... Read More