Our Company | About Us | Services | Our Clients | What's New

September 2007

ZOIC STUDIOS TEAMS WITH CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSKY ON "WORLD DOMINATION" FOR BURGER KING AND THE SIMPSONS

Coinciding with the Simpsons Movie launch, Burger King showed its animated side with a new spot via agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky in which an alien invasion transforms everyday citizens into Simpsons characters with the blast of a laser. As the spot progresses and chaos reigns, Homer grumps "Aliens have all the fun." The world has gone Simpsons and BK is in on it.

From Homer to Krusty, these magical transformations were created in a team effort with the agency, live action director Paul Hunter, the Simpsons animation team from Film Roman and the visual effects talents at Zoic Studios.

"The challenge here was to match the live action with the final animated character so that it appeared to be a seamless morph and made the fun chaos real with a zap," says Zoic Lead Artist Jason Fotter. "This was accomplished by stretching and manipulating the live action imagery frame by frame so that it mutated from one realm to another. It required experimentation and was a fun puzzle to solve. It doesn't hurt that we are all massive Simpsons fans."

Visit Zoic
More Info: Zoic

OUTSIDE'S AWARD-WINING EDITOR NEIL GUST LAUNCHED SUMMER 2007 WITH MIKE'S PREMIUM COCKTAILS

Right on the heels of his double AICE award wins for his creative work on Jaguar, Outside Editorial's Neil Gust completed a visually compelling spot for Mike's Premium Malt Cocktails. Called on by agency creatives at We Are Gigantic/New York, the :15 commercial entitled "Cocktails" aired throught Summer 2007.

Set to a groovy tune and in a stylish urban lounge, the new spot begins with malt cocktail ingredients flying through the air in slow motion landing on the bar. Scooped up by the capable hands of a talented bartender, he begins to mix the drink theatrically. Slow motion shots transition seamlessly into sped-up shots as he mixes the drink, and then pours. The malt cocktail magically transforms into a bottle of Mike's Premium Malt Cocktails. As the action progresses, the only contrast to the semi-darkness of the bar is the featured drink itself, luminescent against the dark interior. The spot ends with a man's hand smoothly grabbing the newly formed bottle, and then a display of Mike's Premium Malt Cocktails.

Visit Outside Editorial
More Info: Outside Editorial

GASKET STUDIOS ANIMATES GRAPHIC NOVEL STYLE MICROSOFT ANTI-PIRACY SHORT

Drama, intrigue, dark shadows and the long arm of the law. Using pirated software doesn't pay and it can also result in significant cost, as illustrated in a new online video by Microsoft by DDB Seattle, produced by Griak and Company and with visual effects and animation by Gasket Studios.

The project began with Director/Illustrator Charlie Griak working hand-in-hand with the agency creative team at DDB Seattle to develop the structure and aesthetic for the film. Griak then brought the storyboards to Gasket Designer/VFX Director Greg Shultz to take the project from static to animated, using Griak's illustrations as the foundation for the finished product.

The animation production process took 8 weeks and was executed by the Gasket team using a combination of Maya, AfterEffects and Flame.

Visit Gasket
More Info: Gasket

MR. WONDERFUL AND SAATCHI & SAATCHI THROW DOWN AN OLD LADY IN COMMERCIAL FOR OLD EL PASO

In Hitchcockian fashion, Mr. Wonderful made an old lady fall on a hard tile floor over 17 times--- without a mat--- to drive home a message about Old El Paso's new taco shells.

In the :30 spot, an old lady (Jan Owen, frequently on Law & Order) is rudely cut while in line in a hardware store. After she is snubbed for an apology from the young jerk, she takes matters into her own hands. She dramatically falls to the floor, dropping her flower seeds, and screaming. When the store patrons, especially a burly contractor, rush to her aid, she blames the cutter for pushing her down. As the crowd turns on our unlucky jerk, we realize that our old lady, like the new flat-bottomed Old El Paso product, is a "taco that can stand up for itself."

Mr. Wonderful played a pivotal role in the creative concept and used its extensive production resources to direct, shoot, edit, and handle postproduction on the spot.

Visit Mr. Wonderful
More Info: Mr. Wonderful