MPC Breaks Glass For Mercedes
MPC NY teamed with Merkley + Partners and director Nico Beyer of aWHITELABELproduct to bring a trio of spots, including “Shattered,” to life for Mercedes-Benz. “Shattered” demonstrates to viewers how the Mercedes GLA’s price and quality “shatters” expectations—along with surrounding objects as it passes by. As it drives through different environments, things begin to “shatter”—windows, neon signs, glasses, even fruit on a fruit stand, all leading up to the culminating shot of a theatre’s brightly-lit marquee shattering.
The MPC effects team helped creatively direct the way objects shattered, their timing, and how the series of shatters unfolds in each of the shots, particularly in the grand finale of the marquee.
New Boston Digs For Brickyard VFX
Brickyard VFX Boston has moved into a new 8,000-square foot studio near downtown Boston in the Leather District. The “new” home is in a 100-year old factory that was stripped to the studs and retrofitted with Brickyard’s collection of vintage doors, furniture, walls, windows, and floors—including an 1890s carved oak bar and glass studded sidewalk from an old industrial neighborhood in Fitchburg, Mass. Brickyard was founded in 1999, and this marks the company’s third location, moving from its previous Newbury Street home.
The new space houses seven Flame bays, multiple CG workstations, a four-wall edit room, expanded production offices, and a screening room to facilitate virtual grading sessions with Company 3 colorists in L.A., NY and Atlanta.
Brickyard maintains shops in Boston and Santa Monica, Calif.
K&C Checks Into Motel 6
King and Country (K&C) produced a VFX-intensive :30 TV commercial for Motel 6, which was created by ad agency The Richards Group.
“Room to Room” highlights Motel 6’s nationwide renovations through a seamless room-to-room journey necessitating some seriously seamless transitions and VFX magic.
Led by K&C partner/director Efrain Montanez, the crew shot on location at a Motel 6 in Carson, California, and at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California, which afforded them space for large room builds, as well as turntable and motion control rigs for a multitude of setups. From a production perspective, the challenge was capturing dynamic, expansive camera moves, such as the 360-degree shots, while maintaining a cohesive look.
The K&C ensemble included EP Jerry Torgerson, line producer Bo Clancey, post producer Seth Gantman, DP Karsten “Crash” Gopinath, production designer Gabe Wilson, VFX supervisor/3D artist/compositing artist/previsualization team member Andrew Cook, designers Brad Mitchell and Marcos Vas, 3D artist/compositing artist/previz team member Yu Okuizumi, 3D artist/previz team member Nick Poznick, 3D artists Kyung Park, Tim Salikov and Henry Foster, compositing artist Jon Lorenz, and editor David Nitzsche.
K&C deployed the Red Epic Dragon, a Hydrascope Telescoping Crane with Amphibian Head, the Gazelle Motion Control system and a software toolkit which included Maya, Nuke and Adobe After Effects.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More