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    Method Helps Inspire Ron Howard’s Imagin8ion

    By jon.silberg@company3.comUpdated:No Comments2603 Views

    Method artists create a VFX-laden spot/trailer to promote Howard's Project Imagin8ion

    LOA ANGELES -- (SPW) --

    Visual effects company Method Studios recently completed work on a :30 commercial entitled “Parade” for Canon via agency Grey NY. The :60 version is set to air early June. This visual effects-heavy spot, directed by Dante Ariola for MJZ, stars director Ron Howard and features a fantastical city landscape filled with astronauts, floating firefighters and a diamond-skinned dog to name a few unusual sights. The spot serves as a trailer to promote Howard’s “Project Imagin8ion,” which is the first user-generated contest in history to inspire a Hollywood short film. Eight imaginative photos will be selected to set the stage for his next production.nnThe Method team was tasked with bringing the contest itself to life, which was no small feat. "Dante has a big imagination himself," commented Method CG Supervisor Jason Schugardt. "The spot is about Ron’s imagination, so we researched movies from his past for inspiration and we really went for it."nnInevitably, the sheer number of resulting CG elements posed challenges to the team. "There are so many whimsical creatures and objects, some reflective, like the 70-carat diamond dog," said Schugardt. "Fitting all of them in was definitely challenging." nnMethod’s Alex Cannon worked with Production Designer Christopher Glass and Ariola to storyboard the spot in Pre-viz, which helped them to block the myriad characters out as well as help shape the tone of the spot.nnThe plates (all shot on Canon equipment) were shot on a particularly overcast day, which led to flat lighting, prompting the Method team to make lighting enhancements throughout the spot. "We did sky replacements and separated facets of building, adding light in places to tell the story of where the light was," offered Schugardt. "Once we did that, the spot really popped."nnAnimation for the spot was created in Maya, effects were created in Houdini and fire was done in Fume FX (a plugin for Autodesk’s 3ds Max). The spot was rendered in V-Ray.nnSays Schugardt, "It was great working on such a VFX-heavy project and especially cool bringing Ron’s imagination to life. We’re all really pleased with how it came out and I can’t wait to see the short film."nn

    nClick here to view “Parade” online.nnCREDITSnTitle: ParadenClient: Canon nnDirector: Dante AriolannAgency: Grey NYnProducer: Lauren TuttmannCreatives: nAri Halper – SVP Creative DirectornSteve Krauss – SVP Creative DirectornStu Mair – Associate Creative DirectornEric King – Associate Creative DirectornElinor Buchler – Art DirectornKent Koren -CopywriternDOP – Christopher SoosnnProd Co: MJZnProducer: Natalie HillnEditing co: Peepshow EditorialnEditor: Andrea MacArthurnnPost Production: Method StudiosnSr. Creative Director – Dan Glass nSr. Executive Producer – Gabby Gourier nnVisual FX Supervisor – Phil Brennan nCG Supervisor – Jason Schugardt nnProducer – Darcie Muangman nCoordinator – Anastasia Von Rahl nnLead Compositor – Tim Davies nCompositors nJonathan Lagache nJeff Allen nCaitlin Content nCG nnModelersnMasa Narita nLim Bunupuradah nAlex Whang nToshihiro Sakamaki nnTexture ArtistsnBrian Ripley nJosh Frontino nRyan Reeb nnRiggersnRick Grandy nGeorge Saavedra nnTrackersnFabio Zapata nLauren Van Houten nTom Stanton nnAnimatorsnSteward Burris nAlex Cannon nLes Major nJonah Austin nnLightersnDavid Lo nAlex Lee nKris Cabrera nDavid Chan nDavid Godwin nnFXnBrett Angelillis nHiro Okubo nnAbout Method StudiosnBased in Los Angeles, with locations in New York, Vancouver and London, Method Studios is a leading post production facility providing a full range of visual effects services including conceptual design, look development, 3D animation/CGI, matte painting, compositing and finishing. Method Studios also provides an array of services to stereoscopic film productions, including the creation of stereo 3D content. Method’s sister company, Company 3, maintains a full stereoscopic color-grading suite in the same building as Method’s Los Angeles facility, most recently used for Disney’s "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." www.methodstudios.com

    Contact:

    Jeremy Monsayac Contact Jeremy via email 818.260.6267

    SPW Category:Production and Post-Production Products and Services



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