On June 3, at the 17th Annual AICP Show presented by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, award-winning Santa Monica visual effects design company a52 (www.a52.com) was honored for their visual effects artistry on last year’s Monster.com “Slots” broadcast spot from agency BBDO New York and acclaimed Gorgeous Enterprises/Anonymous Content director Frank Budgen.
Honoring the best commercials of the previous year, the AICP Show will now go on tour to museums and cultural institutions across the U.S. and abroad. Additional information on the Show, upcoming tour dates and venues is online at www.aicp.com.
The inclusion of Monster.com “Slots” in this year’s program – where it is honored in both the Visual Effects and Cinematography categories – marks the eleventh consecutive year that a52‘s work has been honored in the prestigious event. Founded in 1997, a52‘s work has now appeared in the AICP Show each year since 1998 – the first year it was eligible.
“Each year, to be able to present the best of the best in celebrating the art and technique of the American commercial, the organizers of the AICP Show take a very hard look at the U.S. commercials produced over the previous year,” said Ron Cosentino, a52‘s executive producer. “The fact that a52 has been fortunate enough to have work appear in the show so consistently is a testament to a lot of people… including some of the industry’s best artists, producers, creatives and directors. There is a legacy of producing excellent work here, and we’re very proud to be carrying those standards forward.”
One of several of BBDO’s Monster.com “Your Calling is Calling” spots honored in this year’s AICP Show, “Slots” shows countless people traveling through a darkened city on rails, where they are effortlessly carried along their individual paths toward their respective workdays. Artfully combining real-time and time-lapse cinematography captured by Budgen and his fellow director of photography John Mathieson, the sun eventually rises, and amid hundreds of track-bound travelers, one man finally appears walking along on his own. To the sounds of the song “Dream On” by The Chemical Brothers, a title card appears reading, “Find your own path.”
The spot was edited by Angus Wall of a52‘s sibling editorial facility Rock Paper Scissors (RPS), which also has a long standing track record for having work featured in the AICP Show. “Slots” was one of seven commercials featured in this year’s AICP program which were cut by RPS editors.
For BBDO New York, the Monster.com “Slots” project credits include chief creative officer David Lubars, executive creative director Eric Silver, associate creative directors Richard Ardito, Grant Smith and Jerome Marucci, SVP and executive producer Jeff Beverly, and senior producer Ed Zazzera. The production companies’ executive producers were Paul Rothwell and Cassie Hulen, and the line producer was Alicia Bernard.
a52‘s extensive visual effects contributions to “Slots” are courtesy of visual effects supervisor Pat Murphy, 3D supervisor Andy Hall, producer Scott Boyajan, effects artists Kirk Balden, Tim Bird, Raul Ortego, Mike Bliss, George Cuddy, Shannon Nobel, Marty Taylor, Brandon Jolley, James Pastorius and Brendan Smith, and 3D artists Max Ulichney, Kirk Shintani, Chris Janney, Dan Gutierrez, Paulo deAlmada and Eli Guerron. Executive produced for a52 by Linda Carlson, additional RPS credits include executive producer Carol Lynn Weaver and assistant editor Terence “Biff” Butler. Final audio for “Slots” was mixed by Loren Silber of Santa Monica’s Lime Studios.
About a52
Established in 1997 as a home for the very latest high-end photo-real visual effects technologies and the industry’s most innovative and talented graphic design artists, visual effects design company a52 creates award-winning imagery for the world’s most visually ambitious commercial and television projects. Having relocated to Santa Monica in 2007, the company’s work has earned AICP Show recognition for eleven consecutive years along with recent “Outstanding Commercial” Emmy, Andy, BDA, Belding, Clio, British Design and Art Direction, International Monitor, International Automotive Advertising, London International Advertising, One Show and PROMAX awards. For more information, please call 1.310.586.0650 or visit www.a52.com.
