Big Block Design Group (BBDG) designed and created the main title and show open for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, the long-awaited follow-up to Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, Carl Sagan’s profound and iconic exploration of the universe. The 13-part series premiered globally on March 9 on the National Geographic Channel and the Fox broadcast network, marking the first time that the Fox conglomerate has used the combined reach of two different networks to launch a series. Airing on 220 Nat Geo cable outlets and Fox-related networks around the world.
SPW Credits
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Main Title and Show Open
Client: Cosmos Studios, Executive Producer: Ann Druyan, Executive Producer: Seth MacFarlane, Executive Producer: Mitchell Cannold, Executive Producer: Brannon Braga, Co-Executive Producer: Jason Clark
Big Block Design Group (BBDG) Executive Producer: Kenny Solomon Creative Directors: Curtis Doss, Shaun Collings CG Supervisors: Tom Connors, Randall Smith Producer: Troy Miller IT Director/Engineer: Albert Soto Designers/Animators: Curtis Doss, Rob Glazer, Grant Hoki, Victor Latour, Danielle Romero, Oliver Scott, Nick Tolve, Dakota Warren Lead Compositors: Brian Shneider, Olaf Wendt Additional Compositors: Larkin Flynn' Jessica Laszlo, Brian Williams, Editors: Brandon Hardin, David Nitzsche
Commercial production company Explore and director Jeremy Pinckert went to a familiar well to pull inspiration for their latest production for Go RVing. "Hotel Hassle" was initially conceived as an audio-only campaign, but Go RVing's SVP/CMO Karen Redfern asked Explore to adapt the script into a new, live-action commercial. The adaptation from audio ads to digital commercial spots involved adding re-written lines and a few iconic scenes from Pinckert’s ideas that provided anchor moments for the ads. In particular, 'Hotel Hassle' features a room key that just won’t open the door. The visual he added (a round sensor on the door where the key unlocks) not only modernized the ad into the age of tap, but also gave the spot a technology vs. human undertone, invoking the AI-character Hal from Stanley Kubrick’s '2001 A Space Odyssey.'
Explore and Pinckert also added a visual hook to the ending of the spot that leaned on his own experiences traveling with his family. He found his hands were always full, clutching a few bags, random loose objects, his phone, and of course, his coffee. In the commercial, there is a moment where all of the frustrations are just too much for the protagonist and he almost curses in front of the family. What if the director added an action where the protagonist accidentally spills their coffee and the camera freezes precisely at this moment?
"Hotel Hassle", part of Go RVing's larger Don't Go There! campaign, is currently being broadcast nationwide via strategic digital channels.