I remember receiving a reel some 15 years ago containing snippets from dozens of classic films. The clips were inspiring, dramatic, funny; they stirred memories and served as a reminder of how powerful the film medium can be. The reel was sent to me by Bob Abel as a holiday greeting.
Abel, a veteran producer, director and entrepreneur, passed away last month (9/23) in Los Angeles, at the age of 64 (SHOOT, 10/5, p. 7). Like the compilation of snippets he sent me, he was inspiring creatively. Abel leaves behind a legacy of mentorship, as well as an incredible body of work produced primarily through his former studio Robert Abel & Associates.
"To call Bob a pioneer is accurate, but doesn’t truly do him justice," observed director Kenny Mirman, an alumnus of the venerable Robert Abel & Associates, a production house that was a spawning ground for creative talent. "He was so much more when you consider the work he generated—the people whose careers he helped develop, spanning all areas: directing, producing, effects artists, software developers. Those people went on to positively influence others and contribute creatively to art and the industry."
Among those who got their start with Abel were directors such as Peter Smillie, Randy Roberts, Bruce Dorn, Rod Davis and Mirman; and other notables such as John Hughes (principal in Rhythm & Hues Studios, Los Angeles) and Clint Goldman (now executive producer at San Francisco-based Complete Pandemonium).
The Abel studio also developed assorted pieces of software, which went on to serve as templates for visual effects tools that continue to be used extensively in the industry today. In its heyday, spanning much of the 1970s and ’80s, Robert Abel & Associates turned out numerous classic spots. These included Levi’s "Trademark" and "Working Man," 7-Up’s "Bubbles" and the Canned Food Information Council’s "Brilliance—Sexy Robot." For much of its existence, the studio was generally regarded as the leading producer of visual effects for advertising, often breaking new ground in that discipline, as well as in seamlessly combining effects with live action.
Over the years, Robert Abel & Associates amassed assorted awards, including 33 Clios, a pair of Emmys and a technical Oscar. The company is credited with helping to innovate the slit-scan effect employed in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and developing breakthroughs in motion-control camera systems and computer animation of human movement. After Abel & Associates closed in 1987, Abel himself resurfaced to produce interactive multimedia projects for such clients as Apple Computer, IBM and the Smithsonian Institution.
Collaborating with the Abel studio in the 1980s on many notable Levi’s spots was Steve Neely of Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), San Francisco. Now executive VP/executive producer at FCB San Francisco, Neely served as agency producer on the aforementioned "Working Man" for Levi’s in 1981. Abel himself directed that spot, which combined live action, animation, green screen and other effects.
"Bob was a dear, sweet man who simply wanted the work to be the best it could possibly be," recalled Neely, adding that Abel & Associates was the place "where I learned about triple golden time. The people at that studio would keep going and going until everybody was satisfied. They did groundbreaking work. It was a pleasure collaborating with him and his people. It was like being in an experimental lab.
"There are a lot of people in this business who need to know what they’re doing before they do it," continued Neely. "But when you’re breaking new ground, as was the case with Abel, you didn’t always know what you were doing until you did it. The creative results were amazing. For some time, that studio was the place for great work meshing effects and live action."
During a memorial service in Los Angeles last week, Abel’s colleagues and many of those he mentored paid tribute to him. The common denominator was a sense of gratitude for his vision and the opportunities he gave them. "His energy level and his ability to generate excitement, enthusiasm and collaboration were incredible," Mirman told SHOOT.
In lieu of flowers, Abel’s family requests that donations be sent in his name to one or more of several charities: The American Red Cross to aid the families of victims in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the American Heart Association, and/or the American Cancer Society.
