SHORT CUTS
Digital Kitchen Seattle and Chicago, produced a unique :30 for Quikrete and Atlanta agency Fitzgerald+CO. Entitled "Origami," the commercial utilizes the Japanese art form to showcase Quikrete’s ability to build things all of sizes and shapes. The ad employs an array of computer-generated animation and effects, and shows the Quikrete bag folding into structures like buildings and bridges. Digital Kitchen credits include executive creative director Paul Matthaeus, executive producer Don McNeill, producer Mark Bashore, creative director Paul Schneider, lead designer/lead 3-D designer Matt Daly, 3-D designer Daniel Loeb, designers Andre Stringer and Matt LaVoy, editor Eric Anderson, and composer Mark Walk.
Toronto-based Cuppa Coffee produced a broadcast design campaign for PBS KIDS Share a Story. The campaign is a national reading initiative encouraging adults to share the joys of reading with children, with Laura Bush acting as honorary national chair. The broadcast design package consists of promos, opens, closes, bumps, animated IDs, menu beds and lower thirds. Cuppa Coffee envisioned the world of Share a Story as a mixed media adventure that took cues from the words and textures of the printed page. Paper textures, old comic strips, offset printing and photographs were all combined to create a unique look that appeals to both children and adults. Cuppa Coffee’s creative team also used live-action, cel and stop-motion animation, all combined using Adobe After Effects. Actors were shot against a green screen to isolate their heads which were later composited onto cel animated bodies. Once combined with the rest of the 2-D and 3-D elements, the Share a Story world came to life. For Cuppa Coffee, Adam Shaheen was executive producer, Adam Kennedy was producer, Warren Brown was creative director, Nick Sewell and Al Piazza were compositors/editors, and Ian Tucker was compositor.
Jonas Odell of Filmtecknarna F. Animation, Stockholm, completed a :40 informational video for Virgin Atlantic. The film provides an overview of some of the key services available for passengers flying with the airline. The backgrounds were created with Techniques 3D, while the characters were rotoscoped. Filmtecknarna is repped in the U.S. by Curious Pictures, New York.
MUSIC NOTES
Steve Rosen of hsr/ny mixed a pair of :30s—"New Sign II" and "Baby"—for Mail Boxes Etc., which have been re-branded as The UPS Store. Created by The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., the spots focus on the company’s "new low rates" and "same great service." Rosen utilized a Soundtracs DPC-II digital console and an Avid AudioVision to complete the task. The ads were directed by Frank Samuel for Harvest, Santa Monica.
CLIPLAND
Peter Zavadil directed "Celebrity," a music video for country music artist Brad Paisley. The clip, which pokes fun at the privilege of celebrity and reality television shows, follows Paisley as he tries for fame and fortune on various TV programs. He plays guitar in front of three highly critical judges on Celebrity Icon, eats live worms on Scare Tactic, and loses his bid to date the bachelorette to an 83-year-old man. The video features cameos by William Shatner, Jim Belushi and Jason Alexander. Zavadil had previously teamed up with Paisley on his video for "I’m Gonna Miss Her." Zavadil is repped for music videos by Picture Vision, Nashville, while commercials are handled by Darcy/Fox Productions, Santa Monica.
