Pixeldust Studios, an Emmy Award-winning digital animation and visual design studio that creates innovative animations and motion graphics for major broadcast and cable television clients, has produced over one thousand animations and visual effects that will be featured in the upcoming, four-part “NOVA” television series, The Fabric of the Cosmos. Based on the best-selling book by author Brian Greene (The Elegant Universe), The Fabric of the Cosmos will air on PBS for four consecutive Wednesdays, beginning November 2nd.nnFor Ricardo Andrade, Pixeldust Studios’ Founder/Executive Creative Director, The Fabric of the Cosmos presented a unique opportunity to imagine the mysteries of the universe in visually engaging and accessible ways. “Without question, the animation work that viewers will be treated to during the course of four episodes of ‘The Fabric of the Cosmos’ represents the most ambitious project we’ve undertaken during the seven-year history of our company,” he said. “Our artists and producers have spent more than a year crafting these motion graphic sequences to ensure that they are not only visually arresting, but also scientifically accurate.”nnFor the past 19 months, Pixeldust worked on this project in close collaboration with The Fabric of the Cosmos Executive Producer Joe McMaster, Senior Producer and Creative Director Jonathan Sahula, and producers from “NOVA.” Said Paula Apsell, “NOVA” Senior Executive Producer, “In working on The Fabric of the Cosmos, Pixeldust had the very difficult task of creating visual metaphors that would explain extremely difficult to grasp concepts of physics. The animators were extremely collaborative. The outcome and the work done by the Pixeldust team was not just clear and explanatory, it was also very beautiful.”nnAdds Sahula, “The ‘Fabric’ series was a true ‘partnership’ between NOVA and Pixeldust, in every sense of the word. From the earliest stages of brainstorming design and scientific analogies, to the last tweaks that refined the look and feel of each animation, the Pixeldust Team was committed to perfection. I’d estimate more that eighty percent of the shots in the series have some degree of animation, so Pixeldust had their hands in all aspects of NOVA’s workflow. I can’t say enough about Nick Jernigan’s willingness to collaborate, Ricardo Andrade’s ability to problem solve visual issues, and Pixeldust’s unrelenting focus on the end result, even when grappling with scientific concepts that make ‘rocket science’ seem like child’s play.” nnSahula continues, “Even during the many late nights and long weekends involved with this project, and the twenty plus animators and creative people Ricardo put to the task of working with us, it remained an absolute pleasure to work with Pixeldust. The ‘Fabric’ series is the outcome of a true collaboration between NOVA and Pixeldust, and we look forward to working with them again soon.”nnIn order for Pixeldust to visualize the complex physics concepts in The Fabric of the Cosmos script, every single shot was storyboarded first, then run by physicist/author Brian Greene for his feedback on accuracy. After this back and forth process, certain scenes were pre-visualized with animatics, and, in certain cases, such as the slicing of the “Space Time Loaf,” three or four different versions were created to find the best combination of beauty and accuracy. nn”Before our animators could even illustrate these concepts, they had to understand them, so that was our first challenge,” comments Andrade. Other challenges included the visualization from the inner workings of subatomic particles to the outer reaches of space and the multiverse, as well as novel depictions of “empty space” that can bend, twist or ripple. “The most challenging sequence of all was visualizing the expansion of the universe,” says Andrade. “As everything is pulling apart in the universe and expanding further away, at the same time, it’s also coming towards us and growing larger. It’s a very difficult concept to convey, along with depicting six-dimensional space with three-dimensional software.” nnFor Nick Jernigan, Pixeldust’s Visual Effects Supervisor, one of the biggest achievements for this project was creating a seamless look, by blending live action green screen shoots, 2D and 3D animations, and visual effects. Based on creative discussions with the producers, Pixeldust would show them style frames to determine which visualizations were best. “Once the producers approved a style frame, we’d plan out the green screen shoots, using C-stands with fishing wire to direct Brian Greene’s actions,” Jernigan continues. “Then, using detailed, on-set camera notes, we were able to track the camera moves using match moving software to seamlessly integrate the CG elements with the actions of Greene from the green screen shoot.”nnIn addition, Pixeldust also created digital sets and environments for the series, such as the futuristic teleport, two futuristic spaceports and a futuristic art gallery. “This project really allowed us to be creative on so many different levels, and really pushed us to think way outside the box,” Andrade concludes. “We believe that this series presents the ‘best of the best’ of the unique type of work for which our company has become well known within the television industry.”nn
nTo view some of this work, please see YouTube here.nnHardwarenMac Pros nNew Wacom TabletsnOn Set Hardware:nCanon 5D Mark 2n50mm 1.4 Lens for textures/referencen15mm 2.8 for shooting 360 deg HDR PanoramasnnSoftwarenAfter Effects for CompositingnMaya and C4D for any 3D worknSyntheyes for match moving and camera trackingnPhotoshop and Illustrator Image creation and manipulationnPTgui for stitching 360 deg HDR PanoramasnMocha for After Effect for rotoscopingnnInstrumental PluginsnKeylight for keyingnTrapcode Particular and Form for particles and simulationsnOptical FlaresnnAbout Pixeldust StudiosnFounded in 2004, Pixeldust Studios is an Emmy Award-winning digital animation and visual design firm with studios in Metro D.C. and New York City. Pixeldust Studios specializes in creating innovative motion graphics, animations and visual effects for television, film, new media and corporate clients. For more information, please visit www.pixeldust.tv or call 301-656-0050.nnAbout The Fabric of the Cosmos series:nAiring as part of the PBS “NOVA” series on Nov. 2, 9, 16 and 23, The Fabric of the Cosmos, a four-hour series based on the book by renowned physicist and author Brian Greene, takes viewers to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time, and the universe. With each step, audiences will discover that just beneath the surface of our everyday experience lies a world we’d hardly recognize—a startling world far stranger and more wondrous than anyone expected.nnDuring the course of the series, Brian Greene will reveal that we’ve all been deceived. Our perceptions of time and space have led us astray. Much of what we thought we knew about our universe—that the past has already happened and the future is yet to be, that space is just an empty void, that our universe is the only universe that exists—just might be wrong.nnInterweaving provocative theories, experiments, and stories with crystal-clear explanations and imaginative metaphors like those that defined the groundbreaking and highly acclaimed series The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos promises to be the most compelling, visual, fun, and comprehensive picture of modern physics ever seen on television.nnThe Four Programs of The Fabric of the Cosmos series are entitled: “What is Space?”, “The Illusion of Time,” “Quantum Leap” and “Universe or Multi-Verse?” For more information about the series, please see: www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/fabric-of-the-cosmos.html.Media Contact for Pixeldust Studios: Dan Harary The Asbury PR Agency Beverly Hills, CA 310/859-1831 Contact Dan via email
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