Venice, CA-based visual effects studio The Mission teamed up with Tool of North America for a groundbreaking, high-flying interactive experience for Virgin America out of Eleven Inc., San Francisco. The ambitious web tour allows viewers to experience Virgin’s innovative amenities, suave-club-like ambiance and also to meet some of the airline’s forward-thinking customers like restaurateur Vinny Dotolo, Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber and designer Dror Benshetrit.
Click HERE to “Experience how good life can be at 35,000 feet.”
The Mission was brought on to add the inspired slingshot transitions, titles in tracking sections, compositing and comprehensive color grading. The Mission‘s creative director Rob Trent and VFX producer Ryan Meredith spearheaded the project’s VFX and color. Says Trent, “Maintaining the viewers’ interest throughout the story was key: we wanted them to keep sling-shotting themselves through to the end, so we made the transitions as seamless as possible, all with a consistent, Virgin-brand color palette to make it gel.”
The Mission handled every slingshot effect, including the visually stunning opening on the SFO tarmac. The viewer is launched from SFO airport upward to 35,000 feet to begin interacting under Virgin’s soft, magenta light. Once we’re in the cabin, we see fliers comfortably sipping drinks while watching an actual baseball game from their seats. A pitch soars toward the batter at regular speed, then ramps to super-slow-motion—1000 fps shot with the Phantom Camera—before freezing, giving viewers the option to hit the ball, or slingshot themselves, to the next tableau. Once ‘slingshotted,’ we’re in the middle of a snowy forest, a movie, where a woman battles a mysterious beast. Passengers look on rapt from their seats. Next is a raucous concert, then a tour through one of Virgin America’s spacious planes where we meet notable individuals including a Virgin Galactic pilot Mark Stucky, see floating The Mission-created titles throughout and comped images on computer screens. The experience closes on buttons that allow you to do it all again, see Virgin’s destination cities and view photographs taken by customers.
Credits
Client: Virgin America
Title: “Experience Virgin America”
Online debut: September, 2012
Agency: Eleven Inc., San Francisco
Account Director: Rob Garnett
Account Supervisor: Molly Warner
Account Manager: Tina Arguelles
Associate Creative Director: Ted Bluey
Senior Writer: Joanne Torres
Senior Art Director/Designer: Matthew Wakeman
Senior Integrated Producer: Jeff Macke
Integrated Producer: Christine Cheng
Head of Integrated Production: Anastacia Maggioncalda
Business Affairs: Michelle Potts
VFX Company: The Mission, Venice, CA
Executive Producer: Michael Pardee
VFX Producer: Ryan Meredith
Creative Director: Rob Trent
On-set VFX Supervisor: Michael Gibson
CG Supervisor Piotr Karwas
Animator: Samir Lyons
Production Company: Tool of North America
Directors: Erich Joiner, Ben Tricklebank
Managing Director: Brian Latt
Executive Producer: Oliver Fuselier
Executive Producer: Dustin Callif
Line Producer: Joby Ochsner
Director of Digital Production: Joy Kuraitis
Digital Producer: Kristen Koeller
Technical Director: Bartek Drozdz
About The Mission
The Mission is a high-end visual effects studio specializing in commercials, film and digital content. It is located in the middle of the pop-culture hub known as Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.
With the talents of some of the most creative and experienced artists in the industry, working with the latest tools and a top-notch production staff, The Mission is a lean and dynamic powerhouse of a partner to deploy into your creative process.
From concepting, previs, and on-set-supervision, to 2d and 3d visual effects work & design, and on to final mastering, The Mission brings a smart, beautiful and efficient component to every visual dimension of your project.
