Against a black backdrop, a bright yellow sash drops from above and down it comes a Cirque du Soleil performer/gymnast. That elegant descent that’s a cross between dance and acrobatics is then matched by another performer who twirls down a second yellow sash.
These two yellow ribbons separated by black then seamlessly transition into the center divider line of a highway, along which drives an Infiniti SUV.
A female voiceover simply states, “Let the performance begin” and informs us that Infiniti is a proud official sponsor of Cirque du Soleil. An end tag also relates that tie-in while carrying the Infiniti logo.
This stylish spot for Infiniti Canada was directed by Mark Zibert of Toronto production house Sons and Daughters for agency TBWA oronto. (Zibert recently picked up stateside representation via bicoastal Sleeper Films.) The DP was Glenn Murphy.
The TBWA oronto team included creative directors Joe Amaral, Allen Oke and Scott Couture, writer Andrew Caie, art director Jon Lane and producer Nadya MacNeil.
Editor was Mark Morton of School Editing, Toronto.
HOUSE OF MOVES APTLY NAMED Vicon House of Moves (HOM) has lived up to its moniker, making several moves in what amounts to its most significant expansion to date. The Los Angeles-based motion capture service bureau and a division of Vicon (the developer of Oscar-winning motion capture systems) has completed the build out of a new soundproof motion capture sound stage for full body and facial capture that is capable of recording final audio simultaneous to performance capture. HOM has also expanded its staff with a team of 16 animators to deliver a complete slate of animation services to clients in games, film, television and multimedia.
“With these new services, House of Moves can truly help directors extend their storytelling capabilities. We have effectively mimicked the procedures of the traditional live action set and tied them into the virtual environment. We can replicate almost anything that can happen on a live action stage-from the physical performance of the actors to the positioning of virtual cameras in real-time,” explained Scott Gagain, HOM exec producer. “Moreover, with the addition of our full service animation team, we’re more of a comprehensive creative resource for our clients than ever before.”
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Company 3, Santa Monica, has promoted Denise Brown from producer to director of telecine, Thatcher Peterson from director of operations to executive producer, and Michael Boggs from operations to director of commercial DI & scanning…..U.K. animation/mixed media production house th1ng (pronounced thing one) has added up-and-coming director Yoav Segal and his producer Amanda Lowit, former head of TV at Grey, London. Segal is best known for his most recent short film The Battle of Cable Street, a lauded mixed media narrative about the British fight against fascism seen through the eyes of a young Jewish boy. In the film he uses cinematic live action, rotoscoping and frame-by-frame painted animation to transport various characters into the boy’s sketchbook. Dominic Buttimore, executive producer at th1ng, will take a lead role, working with Lowit, in helping to develop Segal’s career…..
