As the annual Siggraph conference and exhibition turns the industry’s attention to the visual effects computer graphics world, SHOOT surveyed commercialmaking artisans on the latest trends in effects and animation. Here’s their feedback:
Jonathan Keeton, founder/creative director, Radium Los Angeles and San Francisco Seamless integration of live action and digital effects, particularly CG created elements, continues to be the single most important service we provide our clients. Our core business of digital compositing using Infernos, Combustion, Shake and now Toxik is directly supported by the growth in our CG division. The addition of camera tracking, photogrammetry, HDRI lighting and high quality digital cameras has greatly expanded the range of what is accomplishable within budget, assuming a relatively ruthless attitude.
We recognize that with the shift in advertising dollars to the net, cell phones, etc., we need to be a leader in making the transition–we recognized early on the potential of projects like BMW films, and are increasingly doing Web-based content as well as investing dollars and people in exploring new technology and methods for capitalizing on these growing opportunities. We’ve started reaching out to people that we have known for years to help us with the move into these emerging fields.
Currently we are working on some proof of concepts for these areas and simultaneously developing their creative workflow and production pipelines. It’s a really interesting challenge with all kinds of opportunities.
Jerry Spivack, creative director, Ring of Fire, West Hollywood, Calif.
We’re finding we’re doing more client direct work; we are also getting more of the first calls to look at visual effects-heavy boards and we are being asked to recommend “vfx-friendly” directors to agencies more than ever. Agencies are doing more research before they bid their visual effects jobs out.
Agencies and clients are taking advantage of all of the growing avenues of advertising outside of traditional broadcast, now more than ever. It’s cool and all, but definitely affecting the budgets and schedules. The evolution of the business is exciting but happening very fast, we are constantly working to remain viable in this marketplace; so far, so good.
We’ve been working on cell phone animations–we had the number one ring tone animation in Japan for a few months with “Pink.” It was a quirky piece of character animation that somehow caught on like wildfire. This project came through a Japanese marketing company, client direct.
We’ve been doing Cellisode / Webisodic R&D–several directors we work with have projects they are developing with us; it’s all in the works and there are some really cool ideas percolating. It will be interesting to see if the clients they are pitching these to will buy them as branded entertainment pieces.
Bernie Lowry, creative director, and Damien Henderson, executive producer, Mr. Wonderful, New York
The biggest trend we’ve noticed is the freedom. Clients come to us with a gem of an idea. Then turn us loose. We’re not just executing–we ‘re showing our creative thinking. Solving problems. And pushing them.
In terms of technique, we’re using more illustration–and we’re glad. Hand-drawn artwork always beats clip-art. We’d like to see more abstract art. It’s extremely powerful. But it can’t look X-Games-ish or urban. It’s got to be a more painterly, Beat-generation style.
Clients are opening up to more creative avenues. The lines are blurring between made-for-TV spots and virals. Just when we think we’ve seen it all, something new blows us away. That’s a testament to a director’s vision and an industry in positive flux.
New media is seeing bigger budgets. Which leads to better craft. Not a day goes by that we don’t get a request for mobile marketing or podcasting. We’re also doing Webisodes: BMW Motorcycles, MSN/Sprite and USA Networks, plus viral video for The One Club. They’re all great new canvases for us to paint on.
Rick Wagonheim, partner/managing director, rhinofx, New York We are not trying to be all things to all people, but somehow we’ve found it advantageous to adapt as the landscape of advertising continues to evolve.
The newest trend in visual effects is adaptability!
We built a core business beginning with visual effects for commercials. As we’ve grown, we’ve adapted to become a visual effects studio for feature films, episodic television, video-game cinematics, cut-ins, iconic branding for Web released short films, occasionally creating original content–all of this while remaining an effects studio for commercials.
We’ve created 30-second spots in the form of videogames with sequels (new content in the same style) that aired on their Web sites.
We adapted to become a hybrid-digital studio. With the same creative directors, designers, compositors and animators, we’ve adapted, not out of necessity, but out of the passion for what we do–create digital imagery.
We’ve developed strategic alliances with game publishers and producers for a wide range of projects–again, adaptability. We’ve developed relationships with feature film studios; again, adaptability.
As I talk about adaptability in advertising, there is some confusion regarding new terms to advertising. What is the difference between “branded content,” “branded entertainment,” “viral marketing,” “buzz marketing,” “Webisodes” and Web films? Or, does it matter what the definitions are? As this industry morphs, it adapts.
We (the industry) will always make spots, perhaps longer spots for some screens, yet shorter for other screens. Regardless of content, visual effects studios must continue to evolve as advertising evolves.
Loni Peristere, creative director, Zoic Studios, Los Angeles Seamless integration is the trend in visual effects today. Now that we have the ability to change and manipulate images anyway we want, you find a much greater focus on using effects that are not identifiable to the consumer as effects. The effects of today feel much more like real world magic than pixie dust. This is apparent and prevalent in all formats. The audiences we are judged by have a much keener eye than ever before.
Games and mobile content are new ground and we are learning what the requirements in each medium are. Zoic plays well in all of these areas and yet we are more interested in creating and working with a unified format, which might be applied in each market–a game that is a spot or mobisode, for example. Keep an eye on the net. This unified production is exploding and will be coming to a mobile phone near you…soon enough. These new formats are the most exciting in effects today, because they really make you think. We all love a Rubik’s Cube.
Steve Holiner, senior producer, Guava, New York Agency producers are becoming savvier with the use of visual effects in spots. Combine this increased awareness with rapid leaps in artistry and technology, and you open up visual effects options once considered too timely or expensive. CG, in particular, is being used to create elements for spots that, until recently, would have immediately been thought of as needing to be shot live action. Spots with lower budgets can free up their shoot days by not having to shoot certain elements. CG water, once thought to be the most costly and longest effect to complete, can now be developed at a lower cost and does not take time out of a crammed shoot day. CG product sections have also become a way to avoid a product shoot entirely. These budget savings allow agency creatives the ability to try ideas with fewer restrictions.
This has led to a noted growth in the number of visual effects companies. Like Guava, a number of shops have sister companies or internal spin-off groups. Many editorial companies will now have a staff designer or a compositor. On the creative side, there tends to be a stronger focus and a higher amount of communication between the sister companies. Costs can be greatly reduced if production, transfer and post are bundled within one family of companies.
This growth of visual effects companies hints at the increasing demand for visual effects in New York. Visual effects shops in New York have proven that bigger effects spots don’t need to go to Los Angeles anymore. Character animation, traditionally dominated by L.A., is becoming more prevalent in New York. The consistent quality of work coming out of a number of Manhattan-based visual effects houses has proven to agencies that you can do big and technically advanced spots in New York. An amazing talent pool has been created here. Artists don’t feel the need to move to L.A. to chase the work they’d like to be a part of. It can be found right here.
Matt Hall, creative director, Concrete Pictures, Philadelphia One of the most timely and significant trends we have noticed is the embedding of branding and promotional messages directly into programming environments. In a world now dominated by TiVo, PVR and DVR, it is critical that branding and promotion also function as stand-alone and compelling entertainment experiences.
One way to accomplish this is to integrate the branding/promotional messages seamlessly into the programming content that promos allow viewers to sample, rather than the traditional approach of artificially grafting them onto their tail.
This new trend allows the viewer to be immersed in the entertainment experience promised by the show more completely and for a longer period of time. It also creates a stronger association between that experience and the brand delivering it, as well as the tune-in information that allows viewers to ultimately find a program. This tighter integration is accomplished primarily by utilizing photo realistic 3D and visual effects.
This tactic, long used to market feature films, and found in high-end commercials, is relatively new to the promotion market, due, in part, to the increasing affordability of high-power desktop CGI systems and software.
