Motion Theory, Venice, Calif., applies generative art techniques to this TV spot for IBM via Ogilvy & Mather, New York. Directed by Motion Theory’s Mathew Cullen, the :30 spot is part of IBM’s “Smarter Planet” campaign and incorporates data-driven design derived from a newborn’s vital signs to convey that IBM’s technologies help analyze data to build smarter hospitals.
“We wanted to convey to people that we now have the computational power and advanced analytics to see data in new ways so we can make sense of it to help build a smarter planet,” said Tom Godici, executive creative director, Ogilvy, N.Y.. “We knew Motion Theory had a lot of experience with generative art, turning mathematical algorithms into dynamic natural patterns, and could work with us to find the most compelling ways possible of visualizing actual data.”
The cornerstone of the “Smarter Planet” campaign is a new visual language developed collectively by the director, designers and code artists at Motion Theory. The team built custom code that translates spreadsheets of raw numerical data derived, in the case of “Data Baby,” from a newborn’s respiratory, heart rate, blood pressure, EKG, oxygen saturation and temperature readings into motion paths that move and evolve design elements organically across image sequences.
In the spot, patterns gently float up in-frame, seemingly from the surface of a newborn baby resting in a neonatal ward. Ethereal CG life patterns, fractal-like shapes and other visual expressions flow upwards to form a stylized mobile that is captured as a reflection in the baby’s eye. These beautiful design elements warmly envelop the baby, delivering an authentic visual representation of the myriad pieces of data made available to doctors with the help of IBM technology. This is data, as the spot conveys, that helps doctors treat babies more effectively and build smarter hospitals.
Production on “Data Baby” spanned January through March 2010. R&D included bringing on board a medical consultant, developing custom code to process and visualize data, and implementing a workflow for importing camera motion paths and tracking, curves, and models of the baby to match the exact movements of four infants filmed live on set. Cullen directed and oversaw a three-day live-action shoot in LA, teaming up once again with Academy Award-winning DP Guillermo Navarro (Pan’s Labyrinth). Production, VFX, editorial and finishing was handled in-house at Motion Theory. In addition to C++ code developed for this campaign, the production toolkit included Autodesk Maya, Maxon Cinema 4D, Adobe After Effects and The Foundry’s Nuke.
“Our challenge for ‘Data Baby’ and IBM’s overall campaign is to strike a balance between artfulness and an accurate representation of technological data. It took extensive R&D and a unique production pipeline that included a specialized team of programmers helping to visualize mass authentic real world data sets,” said Cullen. “‘Data Baby’ is at its essence a spot that seeks to humanize data and reinforce the comforting presence of science and human interconnectedness. It’s the most challenging generative project we’ve ever done and the culmination of our almost 10 years working with scientific visualizations and programming art.”
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More