The artists and producers from visual effects studio Brewster Parsons are very proud to detail their contributions to the sensational Kinect for Xbox 360 spots from advertising agency twofifteenmccann and Anonymous Content director Malcolm Venville. “The Kinect Effect” debuted on October 31 in :74 and shorter lengths across the U.S. and Europe. Currently appearing atop www.youtube.com/xbox, the spot will screen in theaters and during high-profile broadcast and cable events throughout the holidays. n n”In this film, viewers can see how in its first year, the phenomenal Kinect for Xbox 360 has inspired people to experience the world in new ways,” Venville said. “The clients on this project were great to work with and I enjoyed my collaboration with them and I’m also especially grateful to the creative team for their commitment to this script.”n n
nnAccording to Darcy Parsons, executive producer for Brewster Parsons, the project’s creative vision kept growing to embrace the surprising number of applications that scientists, educators, tinkerers and others keep dreaming up. "From our earliest discussions, the spot evolved into this inspirational film that presents amazing solutions people have discovered using the Kinect," she said. "The story was refined throughout the filming, editorial and post phases, and we all remained fluid and open to all the new ideas this unique project inspired."n nStanding behind the campaign for twofifteenmccann are chief creative officer Scott Duchon, creative directors Paul Caiozzo and James Robinson, art director Nik Daum, copywriter Neil Bruce, director of integrated production Tom Wright and senior producers Mai Huynh and Colleen Wellman, among many others. To capture live-action footage of actors in hospital, classroom, auditorium and other settings, Venville, producer Mark Hall, director of photography Richard Henkels and their crew traveled to the Czech Republic. Also on the location team that worked through production services company Stillking Prague was Brewster Parsons VFX supervisor Simon Scott, who shared many insights into the project’s production and post-production workflow. n n"We pride ourselves on the craft of commercial filmmaking, and being intimately involved with this project early on allowed us to really contribute in a meaningful way," he began. "By planning, prevising and attending set we could suggest many ways in which to get the best out of each visual effects scene. This allowed us to develop a shorthand and trust with the agency that helped move the project forward quickly and very efficiently."n nOn location, the live-action footage was captured on an ARRI Alexa camera system. For creation of the final picture, the main tool was Autodesk Flame, which served as the hub for conforming DPX files provided by New Hat and colorist Beau Leon in extended range… a trick that provided Simon Scott more latitude for color correction within the compositing process. "With the lifted blacks we had all the detail, and later this got crushed back to the right levels for broadcast," Scott explained. "Flare and After Effects were ultimately the main 2D support tools for retouching and matte extraction."n nTogether with the director, the DP, the producers and production designer Chris Jones, Scott helped to formulate shrewd production strategies to achieve the all desired storytelling objectives. As one example, in the hospital setup, a tablet computer fed the monitor with arbitrary images, while off-camera, an assistant matched the doctor’s hand movements by scrolling the on-screen image manually. "This created a rich interactive light on the doctor and TV frame, which helped the composite feel both beautiful and realistic," Scott said.n nTo achieve a similar result in the physiotherapy scene, the live-action crew used a half-silvered mirror to capture practical reflections of both the boy and the background. And in the classroom scene showing a young girl interacting with an on-screen image, a simple previs animation was used on the green screen set to allow the actress to match her actions to the final DNA composite. "In that scene, we were also very careful to build the set at the correct aspect ratio in order to preserve the natural light on the background," continued Scott. "We let light from the windows interact with the screen, which allowed us to lift the lighting off the screen and create a more authentic composite."nnSeveral animations play important roles in the spot, from the readout of the robot moving through space in the bomb disposal scene, to the boy interacting with the physiotherapy game and the teacher interacting with the solar system. Brewster Parsons’ artists primarily used Photoshop, Illustrator, Cinema 4D, Flame, Flare, Maya, VRAY and After Effects. "Most of what was seen in the final composites was prevised, so that Malcolm had a good idea of how to direct the action where the subject was interacting with the Kinect," Scott added. nnAdditional agency credits go to business director Peter Goldstein, management supervisor Melissa Hill and account executive Justin Charness. Christjan Jordan of Arcade edited the spots, with support from executive producer Deanne Mehling, post producer Kirsten Thon-Webb, and assistant editor Andrew Leggett. Key contributors for Brewster Parsons include designers Alex Komin and Chris Saunders, CG artists Spatial Harmonics, compositor Emily Bloom, and producers Chandra Irving and Rebekah Koerbel. The spot’s music is courtesy of Q Department and sound designer Brian Emrich, and the final audio was mixed by Rohan Young of Lime Studios via audio producers Jessica Locke and Bruce Hortwitz.nnFor more information on Kinect for Xbox 360, please visit www.xbox.com. nnAbout Brewster ParsonsnBrewster Parsons is an A-level visual effects studio specializing in photoreal imagery, extraordinary color and brilliant design solutions. Established in Venice, California, in 2007 by Darcy Parsons and award-winning VFX supervisor Simon Brewster, the artists and producers of Brewster Parson collaborate with leading directors and creatives to produce stunning visual content for all media platforms. For more information, please call 1.310.736.1663 or visit www.brewsterparsons.com.
Contact:
Darcy Leslie Parsons Brewster Parsons Phone: 1.310.736.1663 Contact Darcy via email
SPW Category:Visual Effects and Animation
Asian World Film Festival Reveals Asian Vision Program Lineup, Snow Leopard and Bruce Lee Honorees, and Jury Members
AWFF Jury Members at AWFF Opening Night
The 10th Annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) is proud to announce the lineup for its inaugural Asian Vision program, which was conceived to showcase new and exceptional Asian features that have participated in major A-list film festivals and/or garnered international acclaim. The program of eight motion pictures (see list below) will be held November 17-19, 2024, with the top film receiving the Asian Vision Best Film Award. The 10th Annual Asian World Film Festival takes place November 13 - 21, 2024, at the Culver Theatre in Culver City, CA. This year’s Snow Leopard Lifetime Achievement Award, the Festival’s highest honor, will be presented to acclaimed director, screenwriter, and producer Sergei Bodrov in celebration of his remarkable 50-year career. Bodrov established his reputation as a visionary filmmaker with “Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan” (2007), nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film, and “Prisoner of the Mountains” (1996), also an Oscar® nominee as well as a Cannes Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize-winner. The Snow Leopard Outstanding Cinematic Achievement Award will be presented to director, producer, and screenwriter Peter Ho-Sun Chan, one of Hong Kong’s most critically acclaimed and accomplished filmmakers. Known for his versatility and the scope of his work, Chan’s landmark films, including “Comrades: Almost a Love Story” (1996) and “The Warlords” (2007), have earned him a remarkable 233 awards from more than 400 nominations. As previously announced, AWFF will screen “Comrades: Almost a Love Story,” followed by a Q&A with Chan. Multi-award-winning actress Kathryn Bernardo will receive the Snow Leopard... Read More
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