Mothership directors Dael Oates and David Rosenbaum have teamed up with Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, to roll out the Sprint HTC EVO 4G mobile phone, billed as a technological first. Titled “Firsts,” the :30 cinematic TV and in-theater commercial (with an extended :60) showcases an elaborately choreographed domino effect toppling the world’s technological and cultural “firsts.” Visual effects were contributed by Mothership’s sister facility, Digital Domain.
“Firsts” is set on an expansive and surreal landscape as a rudimentary stone wheel rolls across screen and the voiceover states, “First is the beginning. First leads.” The wheel sets off a massive domino chain of objects that have changed human culture. A 19th century bicycle topples a row of steam engines, a gramophone, microscope, typewriter and light bulbs. A seemingly endless queue of the world’s first telephones and film cameras knock over a Ford Model T, which rolls into a towering wall of televisions avalanching upon impact. A lone TV rolls across the salt flat, felling the first airplane, rocket and a manned missile, which unlocks from its docking station and takes off into space. Finally a long chain reaction of circuit boards, VHS tapes, computers and mobile phones culminate in the last “first” standing, the Sprint HTC EVO.
Oates and Rosenbaum, who do not regularly direct as a duo, joined forces to handle the complex Sprint spot, including overseeing a three-day live-action shoot at the Bonneville Salt Flats and the digital integration of hundreds of all-CG elements.
The 40-person production team, which included Ed Ulbrich and Tanya Cohen, president and executive producer, respectively, of Mothership, worked on the project over six weeks. Oates and Rosenbaum opted to showcase as many practical props as possible, which were then digitally augmented and enhanced by the sister VFX team at Digital Domain, with Aladino Debert as creative director. The directors tapped longtime collaborator DP Claudio Miranda, who has worked with Digital Domain on commercials as well as features, including the upcoming TRON: Legacy and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
“Se7en” Turns 30, Gets A Special Restoration From David Fincher For Its Re-Release
For David Fincher, seeing “Se7en” in 4K was an experience he can only describe as harrowing. That or a high school reunion.
“There are definitely moments that you go, ‘What was I thinking?’ Or ‘Why did I let this person have that hairdo’?” Fincher said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He’s OK with the film being a product of its time in most respects. But some things just could not stand in high-definition resolution.
“It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.”
Ever the perfectionist, he and a team got to work on a new restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary re-release. This weekend the restored “Se7en” will play on IMAX screens for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, and on Jan. 7, the 4K UHD home video version will be available as well.
The dark crime thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives looking for a serial killer was somewhat of a career-reviver for Fincher, whose directorial debut “Alien 3” had not gone well. “Se7en” was not a sure thing: It was made for only $34 million (and only got that when Fincher managed to persuade studio execs to give up $3 million more). But it went on to earn more than $327 million, not accounting for inflation, and continues to influence the genre.
Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more... Read More