The principals of award-winning design and production company Thornberg & Forester (T&F) are very proud to announce the debut of the company’s first original series. Company founders Elizabeth Kiehner, Scott Matz and Justin Meredith are extremely grateful for this and many other good fortunes in 2011. Being deeply devoted to essential work-life balance, they and their colleagues are preparing to spend the days ahead among friends and loved ones — and anticipating the year to come, in which T&F will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Before officially wrapping up 2011, here are some details on their latest developments.n nTopping their list, T&F is currently in production on its first original webisodic series, which is for Cooking Channel. "We conceived ‘Produce Guide’ as a way to use our live action, animation and VFX talents to cost-effectively create short, informative programs (each episode is 3 minutes long) that educate viewers about lesser known vegetables," said Justin Meredith, who is leading the project as CD and director. "The first order is for 10 episodes, but if all goes well, we’ll produce 50 more in 2012." "Fresh Produce" debuts soon — please tune into Cooking Channel to check it out!n nAnother pinnacle achievement for T&F this year is having its work for Conservation International appear in Chermayeff & Geismar’s celebrated new book, “Identify.” “For me, this is a huge honor,” explained Scott Matz. “These guys have been together since 1958 — I read about them all through design school, and nothing is cooler than having met them two years ago and formed a close working relationship.”n nOn behalf of Chermayeff & Geismar, partner Sagi Haviv shared his perspective on T&F: “When we need to animate one of our logo designs, we talk first to Thornberg & Forester,” he began. “Their careful, creative work gives our designs texture, lighting — even behavior. This can be essential in helping to convince the leadership of a company or organization to adopt a new logo or when a new identity requires application in broadcasting. Time and again, they have brought our designs to life in professional and innovative ways that have tipped the scales in favor of a design. Thornberg & Forester is our secret weapon.”n nNotably, T&F added many important new talents over the past several months, including creative director Frank Pichel and VFX supervisor and head of 3D, Vi Nguyen. Both additions were reported in top news outlets, as were other big news highlights, such as T&F winning four PromaxBDA awards, and the firm’s successful launch of its own "Holiday Jam" iPhone, iPad and iPod App just last week. n n"Our other major accomplishments for 2011 include creating the Times Square billboards for Berlin Cameron United’s, estimated $10 million, campaign for ING Direct, playing key parts in innovative campaigns for TNT, TBS, REI and Dice.com, our expanding works for nonprofit and environmental causes, and our growing relationships with the world’s brightest creative leaders like Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy," added Elizabeth Kiehner. "Also, we learned a ton creating our interactive installation for Fisker. For us, the most exciting work is happening at the intersection of design and technology, so while it was great to produce such amazing original content, we were especially excited to design and fabricate a physical installation driven by an iPad and a custom App."nnnnT&F will celebrate its fifth anniversary in February. For more information on their upcoming events and all the latest news and project information, please visit www.thornbergandforester.com. n nAbout Thornberg & ForesternAt Thornberg & Forester (T&F), we believe that Design is Law(TM). That means that the tenets of smart, stylish design influence everything we do, whether it’s producing live-action or creating visual effects, 2D and 3D animation for ad campaigns, broadcast identity and promotion work or digital media applications. In addition to our production and design capabilities, T&F is also a resource for concept, strategy and creative solutions. Whether working for ad agencies, corporations, media companies or artists, T&F takes a highly collaborative approach and always strives to achieve that perfect balance between effectiveness and elegance. For further information, please visit www.thornbergandforester.com.
Roger Darnell DWA for Thornberg & Forester Contact Roger via email Phone: 1.828.264.8898
Liz Charky Directs a Playful and Reflective Video For Henry Hall’s “Tiny Door”
Directed by Liz Charky, the music video for Henry Hall’s ‘Tiny Door’ is a playful and profound exploration of the song’s intriguing perspective on love. Silly moments and serious heartbreak are skillfully weaved together in a series of cheeky, dreamy, profound, and sometimes psychedelic scenes. “I am a huge fan of love songs that have an unusual, hyper-specific perspective on love,” says Hall. “That’s what I wanted to do with ‘Tiny Door.’ It’s about loving someone unconditionally while recognizing that love is something that isn’t always straightforward — I think that’s something we all attempt to come to terms with in our lives. I thought it was a unique yet universal detail about love and therefore an intriguing subject matter for a song. Even though the song is a ballad at its core, it still has a lighthearted sense of humor to it — that’s really portrayed well by Liz, and Ellin Aldana, our cinematographer.” Charky explains, “When I first listened to the song, I felt it was a love song full of longing with a kind of wishful melancholy. As I spoke with Henry about his intention behind the lyrics and sound, I was assured that I'd need to explore heartbreak in a nuanced way – with a degree of levity and playfulness. For me, falling in and out of love runs the full course of human expression. Love and heartbreak can be so emotionally intense and sometimes lonely, other times quite goofy or liberating. In developing the concept, I focused on both the literal and figurative ways that falling in and out of love might look like. So, you see Henry and co-star Franny Arnautou falling, flying, dancing, raging, winking, smiling, and... Read More