Venice, CA-based visual effects studio The Mission taps into the internal heat of competition in the glacial new :30 “Frozen” for Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods out of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, OR. The spot features a variety of impetuous athletes, fiercely battling the frozen elements to train for their respective sports. The Mission handled comprehensive VFX for the spot, including on-set supervision, color correction, extensive composite work and CG enhancements of the practical snow.nnTo heighten the crispness of the icy elements featured throughout, The Mission‘s Creative Director Rob Trent and team employed meticulous CG including an entirely CG shot with CG ice crystals comped onto a CG fence, CG mist and breath for the athletes and CG snow. Background textural elements including skylines and trees were comped in throughout the spot as well as “winterizing” a green field with a CG blanket of snow.nn nnNotes Trent, “Sitting there in the 90 degree heat of the Detroit summer and watching the athletes sweat through their 2-hour shoot windows, it was fun to imagine the transformation we would achieve in the end. Humid, green grass and sunny dusk skies would become crusty snowpacks in a cold, moody void. Careful preparation with the DP was taken so that the natural lighting was diffused enough to match the end environment.”nn”Frozen” opens on ominous rolling grey clouds and a chain-link fence with a layer of frost just beginning to crystallize. We see a Dick’s Sporting Goods bottle on the frigid grass with the water inside turning to ice. We cut to the preparatory breaths of three athletes, readying themselves for winter outdoor lacrosse, soccer and football training. The intensity of the athletes increases as the wintery elements surge around them. As we intercut between the players reaching the peak of their training ferocity, a voiceover intones, “This is not when the games are played, but it’s when the games are won.” Each of the three athletes rush the camera, cutting to a moment of darkness before we see the football player retreating into a thick sheet of falling snow. The voiceover concludes, “Nike Pro Combat Hyperwarm. Gear up with the best of Nike cold weather at Dick’s Sporting Goods.” The spot closes on the Dick’s logo and super, “Every condition. Every workout. Every game. Every season starts at Dick’s Sporting Goods.”nnCreditsnClient: Nike, Dick’s Sporting GoodsnTitle: “Frozen” :30nnAgency: Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, ORnAgency Producer: Andy MurillonCopywriter: Tom SebancnArt Director: Ken MeyernCreative Director: Guy SeesenCreative Director: Rob ThompsonnAccount Supervisor: Dave HubbardnAccount Director: Courtney NelsonnBusiness Affairs: Connery ObengnnProduction Company: Anonymous Content, Culver City, CAnDirector: Malcolm VenvillenExecutive Producer: Eric SternnEP/Production: SueEllen ClairnProducer: Karen SproulnProduction Supervisor: Marisol Aragon-HeroldnnEditorial: Joint Editorial, Portland, ORnEditor: Kyle ValentanEditorial EP: Patty BrebnernnVFX: The MissionnVFX Creative Director: Rob TrentnCG Supervisor: Piotr KarwasnVFX EP: Michael PardeenFlame: Narbeh MardirossiannFlame: Katrina SalicrupnFX: Eric RosenthalnFX: Tom LynnesnAnimator: Samir LyonsnVFX Producer: Diana ChengnnAbout The MissionnThe 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.nnWith 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.nnFrom 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.
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Asian World Film Festival Reveals Asian Vision Program Lineup, Snow Leopard and Bruce Lee Honorees, and Jury Members
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