Microsoft’s Genuine Fact Files, a worldwide campaign to combat software counterfeiting and increase awareness of software licensing issues, has been bolstered by a series of four-and-a-half-minute animated videos that illuminate the issues in an appealing way.
“Suspicious Cargo,” the seventh video in the series, incorporates Maya, After Effects and Flame to add visual effects to the animation that make it look almost like an in-cinema piece, especially during the first scene when the rippling water establishes the tone. “We wanted to get away from the comic book feel and be a little more movie style,” said Greg Shultz, designer/VFX director at Gasket Studios Limited/Minneapolis. “We used Maya and 3D elements to accentuate the illustrator’s art. Using his look, we projected the style of rippling water and dimensions that brought the ship to life. In Flame, we added lighting treatment, fog and cloud wisps. We wanted to stay in comic style, with a touch of real effects.”
Charlie Griak, who owns a design firm and production company under his name in Minneapolis, was the illustrator and director of the video. “They wanted it to feel like a graphic novel and a black and white comic book,” he said. “A combination of short film style and standard black and white comic book.”
The video does look like a black and white comic book, as the story of how a company deals with pirated software unfolds, with the characters shown in black and white illustrations with their dialogue in traditional cartoon bubbles. But Griak worked with Gasket to take the video beyond the basic comic book. “The illustrations were built in layers and they manipulated the layers individually to give them depth and movement,” Griak said. “They brought in the CGI water with a flat illustration and made it feel dimensional. It was the way to take a still image and make it engaging so you want to watch it.”
Keith Anderson, copywriter at DDB Seattle, said the video is the best in the series because of the Gasket effects and Griak’s direction. “They brought a lot to the table we weren’t expecting, the 3D modeling and lighting and camera techniques.”
The Business Software Alliance has reported that 35 percent of the world’s software is pirated and the Yankee Group noted that 55 percent of organizations report instances of counterfeit or pirated software.
As Microsoft prepared to launch Windows Vista and Office 2007, it launched the Genuine Facts Files campaign that educates businesses and consumers on the risks associated with non-genuine software. “Suspicious Cargo,” the latest Genuine Fact Files video, tells the story of how one business plagued by counterfeit software overcomes the problem with the help of Microsoft software applications.
FCB Stays Atop The One Club’s Year-End Global Creative Rankings
FCB ended the year repeating its top positions in The One Club for Creativity’s Global Creative Rankings, with FCB New York again crowned Global Agency of the Year and FCB Global finishing as Agency Network of the Year for 2024.
The annual worldwide benchmark report is a comprehensive ranking of agencies, brands, countries, and individuals based on points earned from winning entries in The One Club’s eight global, regional, and local awards shows: The One Show 2024, ADC 103rd Annual Awards, Type Directors Club TDC70 competition, Art Directors Club of Europe ADCE Awards 2024, ONE Asia Creative Awards 2024, and The One Club Denver, San Diego, and Miami chapter 2024 awards programs.
“The Global Creative Rankings is the industry’s most comprehensive and transparent ranking,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. “There are no secret weightings in calculating the rankings, and unlike others, it’s not hidden behind a paywall. As the industry’s foremost nonprofit organization for the global creative community, The One Club is in a unique position to provide this free, definitive measure for global creative excellence to everyone in the industry.”
Highlights of the Global Creative Rankings 2024 are below.
Global Agency Rankings
FCB New York
Rethink Toronto
McCann New York
TBWAMedia Arts Lab Los Angeles
Serviceplan Germany Munich
Dentsu Inc. Tokyo
FCB Chicago
Marcel Paris
VML New York
Ogilvy PR New York, Publicis Conseil Paris (tie)
Independent Agency Rankings
Rethink Toronto
Serviceplan Germany Munich
Wieden+Kennedy Portland
Brand-Side Agency... Read More