While B&K was at Blind they had the opportunity to pitch on various car spots. The first two sets of frames were art directed and designed by B&K (with the assistance of Jonathan, the 3D intern). The rest were done in collaboration with various freelance designers and interns.
All Board were produced at Bl:nd NYC
Kia for D&G
GM for Mullen
These boards for this GM pitch were interesting because the brief stated that we had to use existing footage. That restricted us on the camera angles. Apparently the studio that did win didn't follow the existing camera rule. Sometimes it doesn't pay to play by the rules.
Kia / in collaboration with Dan Savage
The Kia campaign was for a set of holiday spot
Kia / in collaboration with Jessi Esparza and Jonathan Lewis
GM / in collaboration with Tesia Alexandria and Patrick Phoenix
Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Military Event for Donner
In collaboration with Andre Salyer
This pitch was a series of high concept ideas to promote an event for current and former US military personel.
Using shot footage a soldier wearing a camouflaged jacket – that has beenrigged with subtle tracking marks – we push into a detailed ‘pixilated’ areathat begins to resemble a jeep as the camera gets closer. As the Jeeptracks through the shot, the enlarged pixels pull apart in z-space creatingparallax and a greater sense of depth. The jeep pops through the textureof the camouflage material – transitioning to the live running footage,pushing the texture into the background. The camouflage continuesscaling down and compressing until it is a very fine and subtle.
The approach is similar to the other spots; create a previz of the stamp-ing process and machine, prior to the tabletop shoot, to determine timingand camera angle. The previz footage will then be edited together with therunning footage for pacing and locking the cut.
A simple rig comprised of a spring loaded rubber mallet, or even a handheld rubber mallet, will function as the stamping machine. Macro shotswill be framed with blank army issue ID tags. Our mallet rig will slamdown onto the blank ID tag and up quickly. The force of impact will pop up the tag, emphasizing the force and violence of the assembly-line process.The shot will then be repeated with a pre-stamped ID tags. We will thenuse the moment of impact as a match cut point between the two shots.
The pre and post-stamped shots will be rotoscoped and placed over a softfocus moving matte painting of an ID tag assembly line. The shots willthen be composited with a photo real CGI stamp element and machinery.
The spot ends with a shot of a stamped ID tag with the Dodge Ram logo.
A simple rig comprised of a spring loaded rubber mallet, or even a handheld rubber mallet, will function as the stamping machine. Macro shotswill be framed with blank army issue ID tags. Our mallet rig will slamdown onto the blank ID tag and up quickly. The force of impact will pop up the tag, emphasizing the force and violence of the assembly-line process.The shot will then be repeated with a pre-stamped ID tags. We will thenuse the moment of impact as a match cut point between the two shots.
The pre and post-stamped shots will be rotoscoped and placed over a softfocus moving matte painting of an ID tag assembly line. The shots willthen be composited with a photo real CGI stamp element and machinery.
The spot ends with a shot of a stamped ID tag with the Dodge Ram logo.
As with ‘Ribbon’, our methodology will involve shooting elements practically and finishing with 3dblending and augmentation.
Prior to the tabletop photography we will edit together existing running footage of the Dodge Char-ger and the CGI pre-vis shots of the sewing machine. A custom practical cloth rig will be made,that will be the ‘vehicle’ for the cloth, as it moves through a real sewing machine. The cloth will bemounted on a very thin cardboard sheet for added stiffness and that card will be mounted on to thecloth rig. Multiple sets of the Dodge logo patch will also be custom made.
We have imagined a couple of shot types. One is the sewing machine foot moving relative to thecloth. In that case we will mount the rig to the moving camera platform, with the camera. The cloth,which will be locked to the camera, will then move through the sewing machine.
A second shot variation has the cloth moving relative to the sewing machine foot. In that case thecamera will be locked off relative to the sewing machine and the cloth rig will be mounted on a mov-ing camera platform, sans-camera, and moved through the machine.
For each set up, we will acquire the shot in two ways, the first as a fully framed macro shot and an-other as a wider non-macro shot. The macro shots will go directly into the edit. The wider 4k shotsallow us to do two things. We can crop and faux pan the 4K shot in a full HD frame, finessing thesewing machine shot to match the running footage, and allowing greater control of depth-of-field.With the 4k frames we will also employ Photo Projection. With Photo Projection we track the hi-resfootage and then use the tracking information to create matching 3D geometry. Once the geometryis matched we project the shot footage over it, essentially recreating the shot in a virtual 3D space.We then create virtual cameras, which will allow us to adjust our camera angles, depth-of-field andparallax to the camera moves that were originally locked off.
Prior to the tabletop photography we will edit together existing running footage of the Dodge Char-ger and the CGI pre-vis shots of the sewing machine. A custom practical cloth rig will be made,that will be the ‘vehicle’ for the cloth, as it moves through a real sewing machine. The cloth will bemounted on a very thin cardboard sheet for added stiffness and that card will be mounted on to thecloth rig. Multiple sets of the Dodge logo patch will also be custom made.
We have imagined a couple of shot types. One is the sewing machine foot moving relative to thecloth. In that case we will mount the rig to the moving camera platform, with the camera. The cloth,which will be locked to the camera, will then move through the sewing machine.
A second shot variation has the cloth moving relative to the sewing machine foot. In that case thecamera will be locked off relative to the sewing machine and the cloth rig will be mounted on a mov-ing camera platform, sans-camera, and moved through the machine.
For each set up, we will acquire the shot in two ways, the first as a fully framed macro shot and an-other as a wider non-macro shot. The macro shots will go directly into the edit. The wider 4k shotsallow us to do two things. We can crop and faux pan the 4K shot in a full HD frame, finessing thesewing machine shot to match the running footage, and allowing greater control of depth-of-field.With the 4k frames we will also employ Photo Projection. With Photo Projection we track the hi-resfootage and then use the tracking information to create matching 3D geometry. Once the geometryis matched we project the shot footage over it, essentially recreating the shot in a virtual 3D space.We then create virtual cameras, which will allow us to adjust our camera angles, depth-of-field andparallax to the camera moves that were originally locked off.
For this spot, we want to create a ribbon sequence that is completely realand tangible. CGI cloth, at this moment, is still embedded in the ‘UncannyValley’ (along with skin); the cloth appears ‘rubbery’ and unreal. The onlyway to accomplish hyperrealism is to shoot the ribbon. To achieve thedesired result we will employ a blend of stop-motion animation techniquesalong with CGI previz and compositing.
In preparation for the stop-motion shoot, 3D animators will create apre-visualization of the entire ribbon sequence from bow to the vehicle silhouette.
Once the pre-vis sequence is approved and locked, an image sequencewill be output as a reference for the ribbon model-maker.
Each ribbon frame will be constructed on a white board, with registration marks. Acustom made underlying structure, or scaffold, will be under the ribbonand attached to the board. Once all the frames are created we will thencollaborate with an experienced tabletop photographer to capture thepractical ribbon image sequence.
We will shoot the sequence with a digital SLR camera in order to acquirea hi-res 12Mb image. In post we will retouch each frame, removing therigs and registration marks from the board surface. In the final compositewe will introduce the feeling and tone of outdoor lighting and time-lapsesun and clouds, as well as adding slight, frame-by-frame, exposurefluctuations.
In preparation for the stop-motion shoot, 3D animators will create apre-visualization of the entire ribbon sequence from bow to the vehicle silhouette.
Once the pre-vis sequence is approved and locked, an image sequencewill be output as a reference for the ribbon model-maker.
Each ribbon frame will be constructed on a white board, with registration marks. Acustom made underlying structure, or scaffold, will be under the ribbonand attached to the board. Once all the frames are created we will thencollaborate with an experienced tabletop photographer to capture thepractical ribbon image sequence.
We will shoot the sequence with a digital SLR camera in order to acquirea hi-res 12Mb image. In post we will retouch each frame, removing therigs and registration marks from the board surface. In the final compositewe will introduce the feeling and tone of outdoor lighting and time-lapsesun and clouds, as well as adding slight, frame-by-frame, exposurefluctuations.