KBS, MJZ and The Mill joined forces to create an epic, 50-foot purple monster for Monster.com’s latest spot, “Opportunity Roars.”
The monster grabs a woman from a high-rise building, rescuing her from an unsatisfying job. At first she screams in horror but eventually she comes around to view the monster quite differently even as he seemingly wreaks havoc on the city. Turns out the beast is taking her to a better place of employment.
The spot, directed by MJZ’s Matthijs Van Heijningen, is a metaphor for the job process–a little daunting, but Monster will be there every step of the way until you find the right fit.
The monster is an anthropomorphization of Monster.com–he’s in the corner of job seekers as their champion and equalizer, by helping to smash through the challenges they may face in the workplace. He knows you deserve better, and will stop at nothing to help you find it.
The Mill’s CGI team built a full muscle system under the monster’s fur in order to simulate the weight in his body while moving. This heightened the level of realism in the character’s movements and interactions.
The team meticulously crafted each wrinkle, pore and hair, which were carefully simulated to interact with his surroundings, from lighting to wind changes.
The spot features several fully CGI environments, including streets, alleyways and office spaces, which are seamlessly integrated with live action shots captured in Toronto and augmented to mirror the streets of New York with matte paintings and digital assets.
Credits
Client Monster.com Agency KBS New York Patrick Scissons, global chief creative officer; Michele Kunken, executive creative director; Mike Abell, creative director/copywriter; Kevin Gentile, creative director/art director; Jenny Read, head of production; Karen McKibben, executive producer; Isabelle Vrod, assistant producer. Production MJZ Matthijs van Heijningen, director; Eriks Krumins, exec producer; Donald Taylor, line producer; Joost Van Gelder, DP. Production 1ONE PRODUCTION Jean-Rene Parenteau, producer; Anouck Serra-Godard, production manager; Simon Lebrun, technical director; Louis-Charles Pilon, cameraman; Gabrielle Dore, post coordinator; Sophian Verri, offline; Etienne Bergeron, offline, online & color grading; Benedicte Leclere, music supervisor; Pierre-Olivier Rioux, sound mix. Editorial Work Jono Griffith, editor; Nayim Saati, Theo Mercado, assistant editors; Erica Thompson, exec producer; Sari Resnick, sr. producer. VFX & Design The Mill Melanie Wickham, exec producer; Clairellen Wallin, sr. producer/shoot supervisor; Anastasia von Rahl, sr. producer; Zack Franciose, Jalisa House, production coordinators; Ruben Vandebroek, shoot supervisor/3D lead artist; Kyle Cody, 2D lead artist/shoot supervisor; Kevin Ives, 3D lead artist; Kshitij Khanna, Molly Intersimone, Dae Yoon Kang, Yoon-sun Bae, Rachel Moon, Dhruv Shankar, 2D artists; Adam Dewhirst, Todd Akita, Nick Couret, Jackie Liao, John Wilson, Emily Meger, Jeff Lopez, Seon Crawford, Arman Matin, Ren Hsien-Hsu, Lauren Shields, Tyler Heckman, Sewang Kim, Jonathan McCoy, Incheol Jeong, Justin Hammond, Anna Cardillo, Jimmy Gass, Constance Besen, Hannah Lee, Krystal Sae Eua, Jeffrey Lee, Blake Guest, Tom Graham, Juan Zavala, Nole Murphy, Ziming Liu, Sivasubramanian, Vitaal Kuntla, Leela Shanker, Sendil Kumar J, Karthik Viswanathan, Murali Krishna Reddy, Muthyala Krishnaiah, Gokul Navaneethan, Sathyaraj A, Karthick Karuppaswamy, Sandeep Patil, Mehrose, Jai KIshan, Tarun Kumar, Chaitali Shah, Nijesh, Giri Prasath S, 3D artists; Cedric Menard, Charles Lee, matte painting. (Toolbox: Zbrush, Mari, Maya, Furtilizer, Houdini, Arnold, Flame Assist). Color MPC Mark Gethin, colorist. Music Woodwork Sam Phillips, exec producer. Sound Design stimmung Gus Koven, sound designer; Kristina Iwankiw, exec producer; Nick Tuttle, sound assistant. Audio Post Sound Lounge Tom Jucarone, mixer.
Comcast and Xfinity have released this short, “Stay Connected to Your Dreams,” to celebrate the November 22 release of Universal Pictures’ feature film Wicked.
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, based on the generation-defining blockbuster stage musical, stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. This short follows their journeys from childhood to present day, where they take on the iconic roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Along the way, Wicked fans will be delighted by Easter eggs, including props from the film and Broadway show, and will experience emotional, real-life moments featuring the two stars. The short film was unveiled today (11/12) on Erivo and Grande’s social channels and can be viewed across television, social media and on an Xfinity site.
“Stay Connected to Your Dreams,” which is directed by Wicked DP Alice Brooks, ASC (via production house Superprime) in collaboration with Wicked director Jon M. Chu, taps into the power of connection, friendship and achieving your dreams. It begins with Grande and Erivo’s childhoods, and how Wicked fueled their love for music and film. It then moves through their teen years and into adulthood where Grande shared the fateful tweet in 2011 that playing Glinda in Wicked would be her dream role. The short film concludes with the actual footage from the videoconferencing call back in 2021, where both women learned they’ve been cast in the coveted roles of Elphaba and Glinda.
In addition, the short film will be the first-ever 4DX spot shown across the country. Theater-goers will feel the magic of Oz, complete with an immersive cinema experience combining on-screen visuals with synchronized motion seats... Read More
