Activision Publishing, Inc. and High Moon Studios tapped Digital Domain and Mothership Director Neil Huxley to create the new teaser trailer for the highly anticipated TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON video game that premiered Monday, June 4, on SpikeTV’s GT.TV. Picking up where.the first teaser (December 2011) ended, the new :90 short delivers a fast-paced, high-impact battle sequence revealing new hero characters including fan favorite METROPLEX.nn
n The full trailer can be seen here.nnFeaturing characters from Hasbro’s iconic TRANSFORMERS brand, the piece opens as the AUTOBOTS are locked in battle with the DECEPTICONS. GRIMLOCK is joined in combat against BRUTICUS by two new DINOBOTS, SWOOP and SNARL, as OPTIMUS PRIME is suffering at the hands of MEGATRON, SHOCKWAVE and STARSCREAM. Just as MEGATRON comes in for the final blow, OPTIMUS PRIME unleashes the colossal METROPLEX, who is the size of an entire city. METROPLEX heeds the call of the AUTOBOTS, powering himself with the last of the planet’s ENERGON to offer the first indication that the tides of this war may shift.nn”The vision this time around was much more apocalyptic,” said Huxley, who also wrote the piece. “This trailer was all about more destruction, more atmospherics—all much bigger in scope. We had already explored the more emotional side of these characters with a slow-paced, dramatic slice of the story in the first teaser; with this one we shifted gears to accelerate the action. We knew that the client wanted to reveal METROPLEX in the climax of this spot. That was really the jumping off point, and we were given the creative freedom to develop the storyline that would hook the audience back into this world.”nnPeter Della Penna, Studio Head at High Moon Studios, said, “With Digital Domain, you know you will always get something beautiful and technically precise. What we learned on this piece is that their work on the story and directing front is equally strong. It was great working with Digital Domain again and getting the full benefit of their creativity.”nnThe Digital Domain team, led by Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Morton, was able to leverage the digital assets and pipeline developed for the previous TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON trailer, also directed by Huxley, that achieved over six million views online within days of its debut.nnOn the production side, after Activision approved Huxley’s script, Digital Domain was able to skip the typical pre-visualization step and went straight onto the virtual production stage, framing shots using existing digital assets from the previous piece. By repurposing many of the digital models and environments built for the first trailer, the team was able to significantly compress the production schedule, completing the piece in eight weeks. Hero movements for newly introduced characters were recorded in motion capture, and game assets were rebuilt for high-resolution playback. Working again in Digital Domain’s virtual production studio, Huxley directed the movement of CG sets and motion-capture actors in real time – shooting the CG story with a virtual camera as if he were shooting live action. A team of 14 Digital Domain artists created battling robots that leap, fly and transform across the screen, and extensive smoke and fire that drives the apocalyptic look and feel of the trailer.nnRich Flier, executive producer, business development, Mothership and Digital Domain, said, “Activision wanted another high-impact teaser to galvanize the TRANSFORMERS fan base, but which delivered a completely different pace and feel than the first one. Getting to build a story around the reveal of METROPLEX and other popular characters from the TRANSFORMERS brand was a fantastic opportunity for Neil and the team.”nnCREDITSnSpot title: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron E3 2012 Metroplex Trailer :90nProduct: Transformers Fall of CybertronnClient: Activision and High Moon StudiosnnDigital Production Company: Digital DomainnDirector: Neil Huxley, MothershipnChief Creative Officer: Ed UlbrichnEP: Rich FliernVFX Supervisor: Richard MortonnVFX Producer: John KokumnVFX Coordinator: Rachel Mariscal/Cody ShelleynCG Supervisor: David LiunPreviz Artist Lead: Niles HeckmannCharacter Animator: Greg BreitzmannCharacter Animator: Bill CampbellnCharacter Animator: Anthony RizzonRigger: Petrik WatsonnRigger: Derek CrosbynDigital Artist: Matt RosenfieldnDigital Artist: Kerry GrahamnDigital Artist: Val SinlaonFX Artist: Jason MortimernFX Artist: Ken JonesnCompositor: Dave TakayamanCompositor: Tim EverettnCompositor: Scott HalenCompositor: Riccardo ZanettininFlame Artist: Jeff HeussernnMusic: Cities in Dust by The EverlovenAudio Mix: High Moon StudiosnnAbout Digital Domain Productions, Inc.nDigital production company Digital Domain, founded in 1993, is a subsidiary of Digital Domain Media Group (NYSE: DDMG). The company has created visuals for more than 90 movies including Titanic, The Transformers series, X-Men: First Class, Real Steel and hundreds of commercials. Its artists have earned multiple Academy Awards®. Digital Domain recently completed visual effects for Rock of Ages and is in production on visual effects for The Watch, Jack the Giant Killer, 47 Ronin and other features, and a full slate of commercials. The company is a co-production partner on the upcoming live-action feature, Ender’s Game, and recently created a virtual likeness of Tupac Shakur for Dr. Dre’s show at Coachella. Digital Domain Productions is headquartered in Venice, CA with studios in Vancouver, BC, Canada; San Francisco, CA, Port St. Lucie, FL, London, UK and Mumbai, India. www.digitaldomain.comnnAbout HasbronHasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro’s multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2010 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.nnGame © 2012 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc.Katie Adams Raz PR for Digital Domain 310.450.1482 Contact Katie via email
Goldcrest Post Speeds Delivery of “Severance” Season Two
The New York Times recently wrote that the just-released Season Two of Severance will “blow your mind”—and we couldn’t agree more. Created by Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller, the Apple TV+ drama is smart, spellbinding, distinctly original and packed with surprises. For those who aren’t already devoted fans, the show centers on Mark Scout (Adam Scott), leader of a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a “severance” procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. Goldcrest Post provided post services for both seasons of the show, including picture editorial support, sound editorial, ADR and sound mixing. Editorial for Season One began in 2020. Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Goldcrest supplied both onsite production offices and edit suites, and remote editing systems for individual editors, with everything linked to a central server. "Mixing at Goldcrest with our team has been a great experience,” says Stiller. “Bob and Jacob are in sync with our creative process and so good at what they do that the experience is always one where it's about how we can enhance the creative vision, with a baseline of knowing everyone is totally committed to making something as good as it can be." Diana Dekajlo, the show’s co-producer, says that the arrangement worked so well, they chose to continue the hybrid approach for Season Two. “We’re a remote friendly show,” she explains. “Whether we’re at Goldcrest, our studio in the Bronx or at home, our workflow is seamless. I conduct remote daily meetings with my immediate staff, and weekly meetings with editorial and VFX, and we talk to each other as if we were just down the hall. It makes for great staff... Read More