This spot for AT&T plays like a bit of an homage to Christo and Jean-Claude, creators of urban and rural works of large-scale art in the great outdoors. The directing collective Traktor, BBDO New York, visual effects house MPC L.A. and edit shop Arcade teamed on a visual story in which blankets unfurl and cover such landmarks as the Hollywood sign and the Gateway arch in St. Louis, skyscrapers, the Vegas strip, even an expansive beach.
The visual tour de force artfully conveys the message that AT&T covers 97 percent of all America.
The plan was formulated to shoot some of the blanket fabric on large models, shot high speed that would later be composited onto the live action element–in the hope this would take the pressure off full photo-real cloth. These elements worked particularly well on the St. Louis Arch, the Hollywood sign and beach scenes. However, this process worked less so on other larger structures, thus necessitating 3D support.
At the end of each shoot day, BBDO and Traktor agreed on a live action plate that MPC moved forward with on the effects front. The creatives and directors used Photoshop to draw on the 2K scan image to show MPC where they would like to see orange fabric. This saved time going back and forth approving “coverage” areas and direction of roll movement.
The live action plate was also camera tracked in 3D and passed onto the motion control camera operator. This camera track was imported into the motion control rig and the exact same camera move was carried out over the enlarged fabric model on a studio day.
Paul Martinez of Arcade continued editing the full 30-second spot while MPC tested CGI cloth simulations and tended to essential rotoscoping/clean up.
By the time the edit was fully client approved, MPC had a good head start on several key VFX shots
MPC’s CGI team created a Maya cloth script that could simulate realistic vertical and horizontal rolls, with wind and surface resistance. While render time was slow, the script helped the 3D team control the parameters of the simulation.
It was then the compositing team’s job to integrate all the CG and model elements using Nuke & Flame.
The BBDO N.Y. team included chief creative officers David Lubars and Bobby Pearce, executive creative directors Greg Hahn and Ralph Watson, art directors Jean Robaire and Stephen McMennamy, and producers Carolyn Carbone and Amy Wertheimer.
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