Pixeldust Studios, a multi-award winning digital animation and broadcast design studio, has created highly compelling animated sequences that will be featured in National Geographic Channel’s upcoming global HD programming event, Great Migrations. Ricardo Andrade, President and Creative Director, Pixeldust Studios, made the announcement.
National Geographic Channel’s Great Migrations, which premieres November 7th in 330 million homes, 166 countries and 34 languages, takes viewers around the world as it follows the arduous journeys that millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species. The series, narrated by two-time Emmy, three-time Golden Globe winner Alec Baldwin, is a worldwide initiative unprecedented in the National Geographic Society’s storied 122-year history. At the core of Great Migrations is a seven-hour high-definition event three years in the making — produced by National Geographic Television — to premiere globally on the National Geographic Channels.
Regarding the contributions of Pixeldust Studios to this project, Series Producer David Hamlin said, “Great Migrations features incredible tales of dramatic animal migrations, and we tasked Ricardo Andrade and Pixeldust Studios to provide us with a graphical depiction of animal movements around the planet that could mirror the stunning visuals in the film. The end product is highly artistic, informative and dramatic, and adds to the stories we are trying to tell.”
“Pixeldust’s CGI challenge was to create an innovative, organic 3D environment that could blend flawlessly with the beauty and essence of the live action cinematography and narrative,” Mr. Andrade noted. “After weeks of research and experimentation, hundreds of migration paths were accurately projected on a magically lit 3D animated Earth. The artistic camera moves and lighting we developed were a perfect complement to the epic musical cues and poetic narration depicted in this series. We are very proud to have worked with National Geographic Television on such a momentous and historic project.”
Adds Pixeldust Studios Art Director Billy Woodward, "Working on Great Migrations proved to be quite the rewarding challenge. Our goal was to give the viewer the experience of witnessing these magnificent migrations in a way not perceivable with traditional techniques. We spent much of our time developing a style that was not only eye catching and fresh, but also informative and precise to the nature of the travels of each animal presented. We combined sweeping camera movements over a CGI Earth with intricate particle systems that stayed accurate to the precise migrations of these various animals. It was an enjoyable experience artistically, and we’re very proud of the final result."
More About Great Migrations
Great Migrations gives the word "move" a whole new meaning. Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, the mini-series tells the formidable, powerful stories of many of the planet’s species and their movements, while revealing new scientific discoveries with breathtaking high-definition clarity. The National Geographic Great Migrations team spent two and a half years in the field, traveling 420,000 miles in 20 countries and all seven continents, to bring this spectacular, first-of-its-kind production to television.
Great Migrations is a National Geographic Television (NGT) production. National Geographic Television President is Michael Rosenfeld. Executive producer is Keenan Smart. Series producer is David Hamlin. Executive producer for National Geographic Channels is Char Serwa; for National Geographic Channels U.S., senior vice president of production is Juliet Blake, and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns. For National Geographic Channels International, executive vice president of content is Sydney Suissa.
About Pixeldust Studios
Pixeldust Studios LLC is an Emmy and Telly Award winning digital animation and broadcast design studio with the technical, creative and production capabilities to create innovative animations and motion graphic design for major broadcast and cable television clients. The company, which has delivered hundreds of hours of broadcast animation to its clients, specializes in combining proprietary techniques with world-class creative talent to develop character animation, visual effects, motion graphics, and digitally animated sequences seen within television series, specials, mini-series, documentaries, docu-dramas, and reality programming, as well as within on-air promotional campaigns.
Founded in 2004 by Creative Director Ricardo Andrade, Pixeldust Studios is based in Bethesda, MD (in the Greater Washington, D.C., area) and in New York City. Andrade, a multi-award winning designer, and his company are highly regarded for their work on behalf of such prestigious clients as Discovery Channel, Discovery Health Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Military Channel, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Television, NBC News, PBS, A&E, History Channel, NOVA, National Geographic International, NHNZ, Speed Channel, True TV, “Frontline,” Spike and the Smithsonian Network.
Pixeldust Studios is headquartered at 4330 East-West Highway, Suite # 350, Bethesda, MD, 20814. The phone is 301/656-0050. The company’s Manhattan office is located at 584 Broadway, Suite # 612, NY, NY 10012, and the phone is 646/476-2053. For more info, please see: www.pixeldust.tv.
