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August 2007

POP SOUND'S MITCH DORF COMPLETES FINAL MIX FOR XBOX "FORZA MOTORSPORT 2"

The agency creatives at McCann Erickson/San Francisco called on the talents of POP Sound's Mitch Dorf for the final mix of a very unusual commercial. The :30 "Unremarkable" touts the "un-attributes" of the cars featured in Xbox's "Forza Motorsport 2."

With "Forza Motorsport 2," Microsoft and Xbox 360 have unleashed their extraordinary new graphics in a game not really tainted by magical fantasy and indomitable heroes. Instead, the game title is an exciting and challenging "race simulation." Created entirely from footage from "Forza Motorsport 2" and with a purposeful play on slick car ads, "Unremarkable" begins on an empty speedway. As two cars enter the frame, the narrator notes surprisingly: "These cars are unremarkable." The cars speed by. "They don't have booster rockets; they won't take a hairpin at 400 miles an hour." Continuing to show footage of cars in the heat of a race, as crowds enjoy the excitement, the narrator turns more serious. "They're not indestructible. Nothing remarkable in that. They're no different from any real car, which is what makes them so ... remarkable."

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BOMBASTIC EXEMPLIFIES CREATIVE GROWTH WITH FLOWER-THEMED GRAPHICS PACKAGE FOR CONCERT FOR DIANA & VH1

When audiences tuned in to the highly anticipated Concert For Diana, they enjoyed a graphics package created in a collaborative effort between VH1 and design/branding company Bombastic. The concert was a tribute to the Princess and a fundraiser for the charities she supported during her lifetime. Accordingly, the graphics package for the special presentation embodies a symbolic image of how Diana connected with her friends, fans and those in need.

Using the striking image of the flowers once left behind at Kensington Place when Diana died, the team created an opening that represented her life rather than her death. The main element of the animated sequence is a single flower falling down a stream while triggering growth around it. The dramatic camera angles and 3D graphics gave the opening the grandeur that was needed to match the big concert. In addition to the flower and water Show Open, Bombastic designed a wealth of other on-air elements for the broadcast concert. The emphasis for these was a clean and simple design that reflected both the concert's logo, taken from Diana's own signature, and the color blue, which is prominent in the water theme and in the "D" of the logo. The package was created in Maya and AfterEffects and delivered in HD Pal.

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INTERspectacular CREATES "3 HEADED MONSTER" SIGNATURE CHARACTER & RE-BRAND FOR NICKTOONS NETWORK

Concept / design / animation studio INTERspectacular has re-branded the premiere programming block for Nicktoons Network entitled "3 Headed Monster." Featuring one character with three distinct personalities: "Friday," "Saturday" and "Sunday," the extensive and incredibly entertaining graphics package promotes the animation network's weekend block of programs. The project gave the INTERspectacular team the opportunity to combine character development and storytelling.

The re-branded "3 Headed Monster" package will be launched on the Nicktoons Network. The team at INTERspectacular developed the fully realized signature character, including its three distinct characters, as well as its voices. They also developed the complete graphic design package to accompany it, including logos, bumpers, lower thirds, etc. INTERspectacular completed all of the animation, using desktop software packages Flash and Adobe AfterEffects. In addition to the visual aspects of the package, INTERspectacular created the sound design and Foley, while DJ Wally created a signature musical sting. Finally, it was INTERspectacular's Michael Uman and Luis Blanco who completed the voices of the three "heads." This project was especially unique for the INTERspectaular team because it enabled them to attain their goal of truly fleshing out characters beyond simple, visual-driven humor, and to develop branded entertainment.

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FINAL CUT LENDS A HELPING HAND TO SOS "LIVE EARTH" EFFORT WITH COMEDIC SHORT FILMS

Award-winning Final Cut recently completed editorial work on several compelling and funny short films produced by multi-award winning production company Miracle Entertainment for "Live Earth." The films, starring Harry Shearer and Rip Torn, were aired individually during the 24-hour, seven-continent concert series that took place on July 7th around the globe. One was featured in the prime spot before Madonna, and all films are set to be shown as a complete 10-minute piece for international film and music festivals over the next year.

Final Cut Editors Gary Knight, Jeff Stevens and Peter O'Donovan lent their time and talent to the cause, cutting a total of four, two-to-three-minute-long films entitled "Bob and Harry, The Last Two Polar Bears." The film series depicts the last two polar bears on Earth, played by Torn and Shearer in bear costumes and co-starring Lucy Davis, Sophie Keller, Steve Valentine and Tara Karsian. Taking on the challenge of balancing a comedy script with the Live Earth campaign's overall message about the global climate crisis, Final Cut helped turn out these entertaining yet informative shorts.

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