Created for the fine folks at the Half Rez 9 conference in Chicago.
Among the event’s sponsors over the past several editions, the leaders from creative production studio Flavor took up the challenge to create an opening film that would set the stage for all the groundbreaking festivities reconvening attendees in-person for the first time since the pandemic.
Inspired by a Speech Bubble
According to Flavor’s Executive Creative Director Brian McCauley, the Half Rez logo added further inspiration to the project’s open brief, in addition to the event’s theme. “Collectively, we all appreciate Half Rez as a fun opportunity to share your creative voice, and we noticed that the logo has a speech bubble design,” he explained. “Since Associate Creative Director Brad Backofen has been experimenting with motion capture hand puppets in C4D, a puppet finding his creative voice felt like a great place to start.”
Leaping to the final results, the meticulously finished :93 presentation stunned the attending crowd of 300, who witnessed a phenomenal 3D/2D animated creation story of biblical proportions. Dazzling with myriad masterfully executed creative techniques – featuring AI generative backgrounds, VR painting, cell animation, and even real puppetry – the hero experiences the trip of a lifetime, lifted even higher courtesy of an epic original soundtrack created by the artists Another Country.
The key steps in Flavor’s development process involved McCauley – along with Backofen and his fellow ACD Colby Capes, Senior Art Director Mack Neaton, and Executive Producer Kate Smith – dialing in their ideas. By their accounts, Maxon’s Cinema 4D was essential for modeling and creative development.
SPW CreditsProject Name: Half Rez 9 “Long Live Mograph”
Running Time: :93
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/749346013
Client: Half Rez
Planning Board: Chris Schmidt, Amador Valenzuela, Brad Chmielewski, Gavin Morrissey, Miqui Crespo, Michael Kislovsky
Design/Animation/Production Company: Flavor
Creative Director: Brian McCauley
Associate Creative Directors: Brad Backofen, Mack Neaton, & Colby Capes
Executive Producer: Kate Smith
Managing Director: Neal Cohen
CG Supervisor: Brad Backofen
Art Director: Mack Neaton
2D Animation Supervisor: Colby Capes
Storyboards: Danielle Otrakji
3D Artists: Brad Backofen, Brian McCauley, Ryan Bechtel, Emily Berveiler, JC Tecklenburg, Krzys Pianko, Dan Tiffany
2D Artists: Colby Capes, Sam Stucky, Keith Slawinski, Torey Kervick, Aaron Fisher, Sierra Lee, Marly Koven, Jesse Willis
Live-Action Production: Dictionary Films
Director/DP: Brian Broeckelman
Technical Director: Adam Kohr
Puppets: Liz Backofen
Sound Design and Mix: Another Country
Managing Director: Tim Konn
Senior Producer: Louise Rider
Sound Designer/Mixer Jordan Stalling
Assistant Audio Engineers: Cathryn Stark, Brett Rossiter
Boma | Camp Sugar Brand Identity
Rebel Wilson's Directorial debut “The Deb” premiered as the closing night film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Adding a touch of creative flair to the film’s debut, the team at Boma helped in crafting the brand identity for Wilson’s production company, Camp Sugar.
“Rebel and her team approached us with this adorable character design and a simple question: ‘Can we make this happen in time for Toronto?’” shares Jason Cohon. “As huge fans of animation, and with such a fantastic concept from Josh and Meredith on Rebel’s team, it was an easy ‘yes!’”
The :05 identity opens in a serene forest scene featuring a hand-carved wooden sign reading “Camp Sugar.” As the camera reveals two hands gently holding the sign, a little girl playfully peeks from behind, inviting the audience into the world of Camp Sugar. Boma was tasked with designing and animating the 3D environment and character, delivering a fully rendered introduction that will serve as a long-lasting signature for Rebel Wilson’s films for years to come.
“We had so much fun making this and hope to be able to do many more unique versions for all of Camp Sugar’s films.”
Based in Los Angeles, Boma was created to fill a need for quicker turnarounds and tighter budgets while maintaining quality at the highest creative level. With a fully remote pipeline, global partnership across three continents and a team of senior creative talent, Boma is equipped to scale projects rapidly, regardless of budget or timeline constraints.
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