Doug Purver–who earned a slot in the 2009 SHOOT New Directors Showcase–directed, shot and served as lead VFX artist on this spec spot in which a pair of New Balance sneakers is seen running in slow motion along a gritty cobblestone street in New York City. The sneakers are self-propelled–there is no person wearing them. With each step on the cobblestone surface, each photo-real sneaker leaves behind greenery and flowers that seem to have grown naturally out of the street.
A parting super, accompanied by a New Balance logo, reads, “Reducing your carbon footprint, one step at a time.”
Purver collaborated with conceptual design/animation/VFX studio Suspect on the ambitious project. Suspect artisans included exec producers Rob Appelblatt and Tim Crean, technical directors Dave White and Andrew Cohen, sneaker animation artist Ricardo Vicens, shoe rigger Lee Wolland, CG artist Steve Burger, additional shader/texture artist Jimbo Rowel, and camera tracking artisan John Geehring.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More