Archive for January 24th, 2012

Following its successful participation in Motionpoems last year, broadcast design and animation studio motion504 was, once again, invited to create original animated pieces for the 3rd annual event, which showcases visual explorations of previously published poetry. motion504 Creative Directors Scott Wenner and Amy Schmitt, as well as 3D Artist Adam Tow all contributed their creative storytelling interpretations to this year’s selection of poems. The films recently premiered at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and will also be released on the Motionpoems website throughout 2012.

Scott Wenner chose a black-and-white look for his interpretation of “French Movie” by David Lehman. First came extensive research on the type of camera used in the French New Wave era of the 1950s and ‘60s, which was created in 3D. Wenner then found interesting elements to highlight from the poem, deconstructing scenes into the smallest single element in a way that was still relevant and somewhat abstract. The result is a piece that uses a combination of 3D scene work and photographs.

“This poem was difficult to work with because it’s very descriptive and specific, and references the French way of doing movies,” remarks Wenner. “I wanted to do something more unexpected in terms of visuals and sounds to go along with the words. Using the more suspenseful elements from the scenes, such as a glass dropping, actually assisted the words rather than compete with them. We also pulled back on the voiceover and sound design so that it came across as more conversational, and not overdramatized. It was important that everything felt realistic and cohesive, especially when moving from photos to 3D.”

Amy Schmitt’s film, based on the poem “When at a Certain Party in NYC” by Erin Belieu, utilizes a flat illustrated style with plenty of movement to add life to a 2D world. Transitioning through different scenes of New York, the piece follows the journey of the female protagonist through colorful illustrations, punctuated by the dry sarcastic tone of the male voiceover, provided by motion504 Founder Andy Reynolds.

“I’ve always had my eye on this poem and was drawn to the idea of a beat poet,” explains Schmitt. “I wanted the pace to be fast and to flow into a stream of consciousness. Andy’s read really lends some hardness to this film, contrasting the female character with the cynical undertone of the poem itself.”

After selecting “Thoreau and the Lightning” by David Wagoner, Adam Tow spent time doing research, sketches, storyboards and 3D previsualization for the concept. His challenge was finding a balance between a literal translation of the poem and maintaining a sense of mystery.

“Given the environmental nature of the poem, a lot of thought was given to how much vegetation and plants to incorporate, and how they should look,” says Tow. “I wanted to show a desolate place juxtaposed with the liveliness and memories of the farmer, combining past and present into one flowing story.”

Motionpoems.com is the brainchild of designer/animator Angella Kassube of HDMG and Minnesota poet Todd Boss. The project is designed to make poetry accessible to a media-savvy generation by bringing the magic of animation to poems by some of the best living poets in the world. More information is available at motionpoems.com.

French Movie
Poem: David Lehman
Animation: Scott Wenner
Voiceover: Bill Slichter
Sound Design: Kelly Pieklo
Tools: Photoshop, After Effects & Cinema 4D

When at a Certain Party in NYC
Poem: Erin Belieu
Animation, Design and Illustration: Amy Schmitt
Voiceover: Andrew Reynolds
Sound Design: Kelly Pieklo
Tools: Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects & Cinema 4D

Thoreau and the Lightning
Poem: David Wagoner
Animation: Adam Tow
Music and Voiceover: Scott Yoshimura
Audio Engineer: Logan Christian
Tools: After Effects & Cinema 4D

About motion504:
motion504 is a broadcast design, effects and animation studio specializing in the art of motion. Featuring the talent of senior-level creative directors, designers and animators, the company works for TV, film, music and advertising clients. With its open studio space, motion504 is built upon the idea of collaboration through communication, critique and contribution amongst its artists and clients. www.motion504.com

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To view “Lehigh Valley Health Network” spots and images go to:

http://www.flickerlab.com/cancer-monster

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – January 24, 2012 – FlickerLab, the New York-based development, design and animation studio has created “Overpowering A Monster,” a :30 animated spot, developed through BeaconFey, Marketing & Communications (Baltimore, MD), one of the leading health care marketing and communications agencies in the Mid-Atlantic region. Designed to promote the cancer treatment services of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, the commercial is slated to air from December 2011 through April 2012 in the Allentown, PA market.

Nationally recognized specialists, the latest diagnostic technology, advanced radiation therapy and sophisticated treatment that targets the genes causing cancer are among the innovations that put Lehigh Valley Health Network in league with the nation’s top medical centers. This campaign, which includes an additional :10 animated spot and web and print images, advances Lehigh’s “passion for better medicine.”

Led by Harold Moss, Founder/Creative Director of FlickerLab, the studio created an animation in which a door opens, a patient crosses the threshold, a light goes on and a monster called cancer becomes less scary because Lehigh Valley Health Network has what the patient needs to take on that monster.

“Our aim was to create an emotionally approachable spot and communicate the idea that cancer is a monster that can be beaten. We chose an elegant hand painted animation style to create a fairy tale where the cancer patient is the hero, facing the monster of cancer and literally kicking it to defeat,” explained Moss. “The hero is not alone in this battle, but has a powerful set of allies. Lehigh provides the tools, the emotional support and an unparalleled medical team to help them fight cancer. This is a tale of empowerment.”

Paul Wingate, Partner/Creative Director of BeaconFey said of the agency’s collaboration with FlickerLab, “Breaking through in today’s cluttered marketplace is critical. So many cancer commercials look the same. This animation creative’s style allowed us to leverage how consumers view cancer – as a monster – and differentiate the Health System.” Kristen Landsman, a BeaconFey Account Executive who works with the Lehigh Valley Health Network, added, “FlickerLab was a dream to work with … every client request was met with open arms and open minds.”

The FlickerLab team included Creative Director/Director Harold Moss; Executive Producer Tammy Walters; Designer David Michael Friend; Senior Producer Franklin Zitter; 2D Animators Audrey Skalkowski, Alisa Harris, Simon Ampel, Christi Bertelson, Chris Timmons and Bob Fox; Composite Artists Audrey Skalkowski and Mi-Sook Cho; Animatic Artist Audrey Skalkowski; and Ink and Paint Alison Wilgus.

FlickerLab utilized Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 software including After Effects and Photoshop, Apple Final Cut Studio, Apple Mac Pro, Apple iMac and Mac Mini Desktop Computers, Dell Ultrasharp 24” widescreen displays, Apple Displays and Wacom Cintiq tablets in the execution of this project.

The creative team at BeaconFey, Marketing & Communications included Creative Director/Partner Paul Wingate, Account Executive Kristen Landsman, Executive Producer/Producer Dana Cole, Copywriter Susan Daugherty and Art Director Tracy Kordon.

Representing Lehigh Valley Health Network were Director of Marketing Jo Ann Hart and Marketing Manager Ann Fatzinger.

David J. Wilson of David Wilson Audio (New York, NY) composed the musical underscore and was responsible for the sound design, mix, and VO record as well.

About FlickerLab

Twelve-year-old FlickerLab, a leading technology, production, and educational content studio, has created thousands of hours of award-winning content for broadcast, e-books, learning systems, apps, film and cross-platform distribution for global media brands including Disney, Cartoon Network, BBC, Nickelodeon, and PBS.

FlickerLab has invested twelve years of software development and production into creating the FlickerLive Suite, a game-changing production tool-set that radically transforms the economics and timelines of creating animated and live-action content for cross-platform distribution. High volumes of media can be produced in real-time, at cost savings of up to 95%.

FlickerLab New York is headquartered at 78 Crosby Street, Suite 203, New York, New York 10012 (mailing address 540 Broadway, Suite 203); For additional information, or to see a reel, contact Managing Partner/Executive Producer Tammy Walters at Tammy@flickerlab.com or by phone at 212 560-9228. Visit the FlickerLab website at www.flickerlab.com

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— Available from the iTunes store, this app serves as a complete mobile DJ booth —

WINTER NAMM SHOW, ANAHEIM, CA, January 19, 2012 — Waves Audio (Booth 6242/Hall A), the industry-leading developer of professional audio digital signal processing technologies and the recipient of a Technical GRAMMY® Award, joins forces with Musicsoft Arts to introduce Mashup, an innovative new iPad® app. Featuring an advanced playback engine and effects controlled by an intuitive interface, Mashup lets users play and mix directly from their iPad music library – plus download exclusive tracks from leading DJs like Junior Sanchez and Kris Menace. Mashup is a complete mobile DJ booth, with studio-quality EQ and analog-style resonant filters, Vinyl Touch glitch-free scratching, and independent time-stretch and pitch-shift for each of its two stereo decks, saving users thousands of dollars in gear.

Users can also take Mashup’s performance to the next level using Waves MaxxAudio enhancement, available at an additional charge. MaxxAudio for Mashup includes MaxxVolume all-in-one dynamics control, which dramatically increases the output levels of headphones and external speakers; MaxxBass psycho-acoustic bass enhancement, which delivers deep, rich lows listeners can really feel; and preset sound modes for earbuds, headphones, docking stations, home stereos and club systems.

Features include:

Dual stereo decks with studio-quality EQ and effects
Independent time-stretch and pitch-shift for each deck
Analog-style resonant high pass/low pass filters with exclusive touch ribbon control
Free downloadable music from top DJs and producers
Vinyl Touch glitch-free scratching
Record stereo mixers, then drag and drop into a computer
Play back any track in a user’s library
Users’ iPhone® or iPad®s can cue the next track over a WiFi or Bluetooth connection

Aviv Eyal, CEO, Musicsoft Arts, stated, “In our efforts to offer DJ’s worldwide the highest quality audio in our applications, we decided to collaborate with Waves on Mashup. Their leading DSP technology was a perfect fit for this app, and it really helped enhance the audio quality, something that DJ’s will surely appreciate.”

“Waves partnered with Musicsoft Arts on the Mashup app to bring DJ’s the maximum audio quality available,” stated Gilad Keren, CEO and co-founder of Waves Audio. “Mashup is not only easy to use, it has a wide array of features, and DJs will be able to hear the difference in audio quality right away.”
The Mashup app from Waves Audio and Musicsoft Arts will be available Q1 2012 from the iTunes store with pricing to be announced. For more information, please visit www.waves.com.

The Genelec Winter NAMM 2012 Press Kit is now available. Please click the link below for press releases and high-res photos:

http://www.clynemedia.com/genelec/WNAMM12/index.html

The Waves Winter NAMM 2012 Press Kit is now avaible. Please click link below for press releases and high-res photo files:

http://www.clynemedia.com/waves/WNAMM12/index.html

The Audio-Tehcnica Winter NAMM 2012 Press Kit is now avaible. Please click link below for press releases and high-res photo files:

http://clynemedia.com/audiotechnica/WNAMM12/index.html

— Pyramind produces professional commercial audio for clients and also offers professional music production training, and GC Pro has been able to provide technology support for both sides of Pyramind’s services —

Pyramind occupies a special space in professional audio: As a commercial audio production and post production facility, it excels as a leading supplier of audio for the video game industry. As such, they are noted for their work with major studios such as Sega, 2K Games, LucasArts, Sony PlayStation and others, producing the scores, voice over and sound design for blockbuster games like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Infamous 2, Iron Man 2, Bioshock 2, the God of War trilogy and dozens more. Pyramind is also a leader in the growing field of pro audio education. Award-winning educators including YouTube Guru David Earl (sfLogicNinja), CSI composer and sound designer Brian Trifon (Trifonic), and G.A.N.G award-winning engineer Steve Heithecker teach Pyramind’s signature “Core” program (devised by Chief Academic Officer Matt Donner), emphasizing the three key disciplines for individual success in any creative field: creativity, technology, and business acumen. Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, has been a vendor partner with Pyramind for over a decade, providing equipment, expertise and services that address Pyramind’s needs in all of their ventures. These include the sales of products such as Genelec Active Monitors, Avid ProTools systems, mic pre’s from Focusrite and Avalon and high-end microphones from over a dozen manufacturers, as well as being an educational partner, providing discounts for Pyramind students and staff and offering advice for students on an array of pro audio topics.

“We’ve been working with [GC Pro Account Manager] Vince Bedford for ten-plus years now, and the service has just been great,” exclaims CEO Greg Gordon. “We’ve had a longstanding relationship with Vince and GC Pro, and they have helped us across the board, from the biggest consoles to the smallest items. We really appreciate how responsive they’ve been in terms of helping out students, not only with educational discounts on equipment but also with advice and input on so many subjects. They treat everyone like a professional, and that means a lot to our students.”

Bedford says the feeling is mutual: “Pyramind is one of the finest music production schools in the country – every teacher there is an author or is a professional producer/engineer working in the field. We’re glad that a school of that caliber feels good enough about GC Pro to send all of their students to us. We are able to provide students with the right tools essential for their education, as well as high-quality information that reinforces their training at Pyramind. We’ve enjoyed supporting them in the past and look forward to continuing to do so in the future.”

Matt Donner, Pyramind’s Chief Academic Officer, says that GC Pro has been a long-time supplier to both of the company’s business lines. “On the training side, we recommend specific computers, keyboards and software – including Pro Tools, Reason, Live and Logic- and our students get great advice along with competitive pricing on all of that from GC Pro,” he says. “On the studio side, GC Pro has provided us with just about everything, including several last-minute needs that GC Pro solved immediately for a vocal session for the Halo soundtrack. Our relationship with them is very strong because they have what we need and they’re there when we need them. Most importantly for the students, they get solid advice, great pricing and solid customer service. In one purchase with GC Pro, they transition from being a hobbyist to becoming a professional. It’s worth its weight in gold.”

For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.

For a poignant new campaign for Chevy Silverado, ad agency LatinWorks turned to Director/DP Ericson Core of Wild Plum. The two spots, “Big Red” and “In Trouble,” focus on real bonding moments between fathers and sons.

“Big Red” opens on a young boy who pulls his red wagon full of blocks around his neighborhood, using them to fill cracks along the sidewalks and walls. With a laser-like focus on his repair work, he makes his way down the street, nodding and waving at friendly neighbors and deliverymen. The boy’s eyes suddenly light up upon seeing his dad and his red Chevy truck, filled with bricks, parked in the driveway. As the two embrace, the touching spot concludes with the tagline, “Chevy runs deep.”

“In Trouble,” a father is clearly upset with his two sons, who are completely covered in mud in the backseat of his Chevy truck. Seeing the remorse in their eyes, he has a change of heart and decides to play himself, off-roading with his Chevy through the mud – to his boys’ delight. In the end, father and sons have a blast rinsing off the truck and each other in the driveway.

To view the spots, please visit:
http://tiny.cc/chevy-big-red
http://tiny.cc/chevy-in-trouble

Core had previously collaborated with LatinWorks on a campaign for Lowe’s and was excited to work with the agency again.

“This campaign was not a hard sell about the quality or performance of the truck,” explains Core. “It was about creating an emotional connection, and capturing those special moments in life that we experience as parents and kids. I found these stories so wonderful, and really loved where the agency was going. These are sweet powerful stories, but we wanted them to feel genuine, not sappy.”

To achieve this, Core and the creatives downplayed the performances, focusing instead on finding the real moments between the actors and documenting them.

“I deeply connected with the story in ‘Big Red,’” concludes Core. “My 7-year-old son loves to build, and it always brings a tremendous smile to my face when he wants to help or work with me. We’re completely immersed in this earnest young boy’s world until we reveal his father in the driveway, and the metaphor of the red truck and wagon. For both spots, it was less about complex effects or sugarcoating, and more about quality storytelling — allowing the actors to explore and find the authenticity in simple performances.”

Client: General Motors / Chevy
Spot Titles: “Big Red” & “In Trouble”
Airdate: January 23, 2012
Ad Agency: LatinWorks
President, CCO: Sergio Alcocer
VP Group Director: Charles Neugebauer
Creative Director: Erik Hernandez
Creatives: Morris Davila, Roberto Casillas & Seth Taylor
Producer: Michael McLaughlin
Production Company: Wild Plum
Director/DP: Ericson Core
Executive Producers: Shelby Sexton & Sandy Haddad
Where Shot: Pasadena, CA (“Big Red”) & Calabasas, CA (“In Trouble”)
Editorial Company: Union Editorial

About Wild Plum:
Boutique production house Wild Plum was founded in 2007 by industry veterans Shelby Sexton and Alisa Allen. Sexton, executive producer, and Allen, CFO, boast over two decades of combined experience, both having extended stints at the renowned Plum Productions.Based in the heart of Venice, Wild Plum handles some of today’s most exciting directorial talent and is dedicated to producing not only traditional commercials, but also new creative content in the fast-paced and ever-changing production industry. Its roster currently includes Kamp Grizzly, Kieran Walsh, Ericson Core, Shane Drake, Mike Goubeaux, and Jan De Bont. Recent projects include campaigns for Adidas and Target directed by Kamp Grizzly, Paramore’s “Monster” music video directed by Shane Drake, Dial’s “Oath” commercial helmed by Ericson Core, and its eight season of branded content for “American Idol” and Ford.

www.wildplum.tv

From Reliable Products to Customer Support, Anton/Bauer Wraps Up 20th Consecutive Season with the Show

SHELTON, CT, JANUARY 24, 2012—Since their first day of production back in 2001, crew members of the hit reality television series The Amazing Race have counted on Anton/Bauer® products to power them through even the toughest geographic and weather conditions. more

Grass Valley's Karrera Offers Native HD Production

AMS Pictures is headquartered in Dallas (with a second location in Austin), where it maintains three production studios (the largest being 3,700 sq. ft), all supported by a single control room, which the staff of 75 uses to produce live-to-tape and live-to-air shows. There are two outbound fiber paths for distribution. The control room is now being renovated to accommodate the Karrera.

AMS Pictures is now one of the first production companies to offer full HD production and distribution services in the Dallas area and will use the new Karrera (2 M/E version in a 4 RU rack) switcher for all types of video projects – from corporate and educational productions to original programming (documentaries) for live broadcast and cable television distribution.

The Karrera’s size is ideally suited to the dozens of multi-camera studio projects produced each year. Its feature set provides an array of capabilities to increase AMS Picture’s business and offer new services, such as native HD production in the 720p and 1080i formats and full SD/HD simulcast functionality.

“I’ve used the Grass Valley Kayenne, so I know that the Karrera offers virtually all of the power of the Kayenne in a smaller package,” said Bret Harrell, Director of Technology at AMS Pictures. “It’s great that I can get the full functionality of a large system in a mid-sized switcher, and the price point is super. Grass Valley has really produced a real winner.”

The company still produces SD work for its clients as well, and the Karrera allows it to produce simulcast SD/HD shows. Harrell points out that the Karrera’s architecture and intuitive control panel makes this simple to do.

“The Karrera is finding a home with a wide variety of users that might not have been able to afford a larger Grass Valley switcher, but want all of the functionality and reliability of our higher end models,” said Jeff Rosica, Executive Vice President of Grass Valley. “AMS Pictures is the first company in the Dallas area to order a Karrera and, once word gets out in the market, I’m sure they won’t be the last.”

AMS Pictures is working quickly to expand its multi-camera work by upgrading the quality of its equipment. The Karrera is the first step in what the company believes will be a very successful process to grow the company.

About the Karrera Video Production Center
Available in 1.5-2.5 M/E channels in a 4 RU frame and 2.5-4.5 M/Es in an 8 RU frame, the Karrera is a fully digital 10-bit 4:2:2 video switcher with up to 96 inputs and 48 outputs. It features HD/SD SDI signal support with (optional) up/down/crossconverters on selected inputs and outputs, and six keyers in every full M/E—four full-function keyers plus two linear/ luminance keyers. Each full-function keyer has two pages (frames) of video and key storage to free up Image Store outputs and reduce the number of external graphics sources.

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