Among the latest developments underscoring the ascent of Australia and New Zealand as production centers are the recognition the region has received from international organizations such as the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) and the Visual Effects Society (VES).
The last two VES Awards competitions have had significant Down Under representation. This year, for example, Fuel International, Sydney, was nominated for outstanding visual effects in a commercial on the strength of BMW’s “Hydrogen” directed by Andrew van der Westhuyzen of Sydney-based Collider for GSD&M’s Idea City in Austin, Texas.
The spot shows liquid coming together to form an automobile, the BMW Hydrogen 7. A voiceover explains that instead of producing carbon-dioxide, this vehicle emits water, at which point we see the car dissolve as it turns into H2O. The voiceover relates, “A car that will leave its mark by not leaving a mark.”
Simon Maddison, Fuel’s visual effects supervisor on “Hydrogen,” says, “The biggest challenge on the BMW ad creatively was definitely the look of the liquid car at the end of the spot. The liquid had to look real to a degree, which in some ways conflicted with the client’s needs. They effectively saw this shot as a product shot. They wanted to see the headlights defined, the shape of the grill, as well as some of the interior, to name a few points. As the interior of the car would be visible through the surface water layers, we were required to simulate a lot of different sections during the car’s collapse. These included the drive chain, the steering column, the seats (front and back), the engine, the headlights and the suspension. As it is rather difficult with current tools to simulate a body of water within another, we needed to generate these elements separately. And as we were dealing with refractions, they all needed to be rendered within the one scene.
But the bottom line, affirms Maddison, is that “although the work is technically challenging, we believed the final result should belie this and appear simple and elegant. The director wanted a stylized treatment to the CG water–the concept was not so much about the physics of liquids but about using the beauty of liquid motion to describe the BMW technology in a creative and artistic way.”
The 25 seconds of CG animation, at HD resolution, was completed at Fuel in just three weeks.
he Fuel nom this year followed a pair of 2007 VES Award commercial wins for WETA Digital, the Wellington, N.Z.-based visual effects house widely known for its Oscar-winning effects on director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and remake of King Kong.
WETA Digital won two VES trophies last year, including one for outstanding visual effects in a commercial on the basis of Travelers’ “Snowball,” a comedic spot depicting what happens when a man trips and falls on a steep San Francisco street, collecting people and objects along the way that create a giant ball of humanity and assorted matter. The spot, helmed by Dante Ariola of bicoastal/international MJZ via Fallon Minneapolis, was also recognized in the category for outstanding compositing in a broadcast program, commercial or music video. Honorees for the spot visual effects category were WETA’s Dan Lemmon, Eileen Moran, R. Christopher White and Paul Story. The team of Laure Lacroix, Lyse Beck, Steve McGillen and Matt Holland were honored in the compositing category.
The VES wins came on the heels of Ariola winning the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award as best commercial director of ’06. “Snowball” was one of the spots that earned Ariola the coveted DGA honor.
The same year “Snowball” won a pair of VES Awards, a nomination (outstanding animated character in an animated motion picture for the character Mumble) went to Sydney-based digital production studio Animal Logic for its first fully animated feature, Happy Feet.
Animal Logic also is active in commercials, among its latest ad endeavors being the visual effects for the Mobil 1 “Metamorphosis” TV campaign directed by Graeme Burfoot of Filmgraphics, Sydney, for McCann Erickson, New York.
Shot entirely in Hungary, the spot shows how Mobil 1 motor oil transforms the performance of older model cars into the latest model by rejuvenating the engine. A Lancer, a Camry and a Mercedes all undergo this fantastic metamorphosis in the spot.
Animal Logic’s work on the project started on location in Hungary, where the team took reference of actual ‘older model’ cars, which were later made into CG models. These models were then skinned over the live action plates of the ‘new’ cars.
The greatest challenge for Animal Logic on the project was creating a look for the transformation between the two. The new transformed car had to look as if it was shedding its old skin and the pieces had to have a weightless quality to them yet still look like pieces of car.
The final technique incorporates both cloth simulations and hand animation to peel away the pieces of each car. Every shot had its own customized simulation, with the pieces reacting in a cause-and-effect manner to the air currents, wind forces and other dynamics generated by the car’s enhanced performance.
Additionally, the team of artists created a new CGI billboard for the spot’s ending.
The Mobil 1 ‘Metamorphosis’ 30-second commercial was launched on March 3, 2008 in the markets of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
The Animal Logic team included supervisor/lead Flame artist Colin Renshaw, Flame artist Leoni Willis, CGI lead artist Jonathan Dearing, producers Amelia Babos and Melanie Wickham and coordinator/line producer Kate Stenhouse.
Animal Logic also maintains a production office in Los Angeles. And other Down Under firms have presences stateside, a prime example being production house Prodigy, which maintains offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and New York, the latter being under the aegis of executive producer Nic Barnes. And in the small world department, Prodigy recently added director/designer Dael Oates to its roster, an up-and-coming filmmaking talent who comes aboard after an eight-year tenure with Animal Logic where he took a visual effects path to directing.
AFCIThe earlier alluded to AFCI recognition for the Down Under community is twofold. First Robin James, CEO of the Pacific Film & Television Commission in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, continues to serve as AFCI president. Last year he became the first non-U.S.-based president of the AFCI, a nonprofit educational association with a membership of more than 300 film commissions worldwide.
And Wellington, N.Z., has won the competition to host the AFCI Cineposium International Conference 2008, which will run from Nov. 19-23. Prior Cineposiums have been held in cities in Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S. and have attracted participants from six continents.
The Cineposium site selection committee considered proposals from six prospective host countries. “We’re delighted that our proposal convinced the international selection panel that Wellington was the most exciting place to hose the 2008 Cineposium,” says Film Wellington manager Jean Johnston. The Wellington, N.Z. film commissioner adds, “It’s another indication that Wellington is highly regarded in the international screen production industry.”
Film Wellington’s bid to host Cineposium was accompanied by letters of support from such notables as Peter Jackson, Mayor Kerry Prendergast and Film New Zealand.
“We expect that the Cineposium will lead to more film business opportunities in New Zealand,” says Film Wellington’s Johnston. “Hosting the event will also be of great benefit to New Zealand’s six other regional film offices, as well as the local media industry, and creates an opportunity to promote filming in New Zealand to an international audience.”
AICP’s Matt Miller Looks To Build Support For Production In L.A. After Devastating Wildfires
Editor’s note: AICP president and CEO Matt Miller issued the following statement addressing the wildfires in Los Angeles and how the industry can help this key production market--a hub of major resources essential to the health of the overall commercialmaking industry:
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
By Matt Miller, AICP president and CEO
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 L.A. 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... Read More