| Olympics VW spots...
• | | | |
 | Olympics VW spots...
by Tim Kolb on Feb 18, 2002 at 4:59:11 am |
OK, I've got a client asking about how something could be done similar to the VW spots that have run during the olympics...
All the email said was:
[["Have you seen the animated VW ads running during Olympic coverage this past week? Lots of blue, green, white, some yellow?
What do you think? Since you actually, physically know how to do this stuff, are these simple or complex, expensive or inexpensive to create?"]]
...I don't know what they are referring to because I've been pretty booked up lately and other than the occasional figure skate-gate scandal wrap up on network news, I'm afraid I haven't seen any Olympics coverage...much less much television at all...
Can anyone tell me how the spots are structured? Better yet, how they were produced?
I'd be a very grateful mushroom. Thanks.
Tim Kolb
| | | | |
• | | | |  | Re: Olympics VW spots...
by Marty Hedler on Feb 18, 2002 at 3:01:34 pm |
The spots are line-art animations, the theme is how those clever VW engineers never stop coming up with great ideas.
The look is white background, black line-art with minimal color fills.
The sequence starts at the beetle with lab-dudes buzzing around and the view flies around, zooms-in on a vehicle detail, which morphs into a detail of the next vehicle in VW history, zoom-out, fly around,; rinse,lather, repeat..
A nice but somewhat weak spot in the otherwise awesome "Drivers Wanted" campaign.
HTH, MPH
P.S. Too bad about AdCritic.com, eh?
| | | | |
• | | | |  | Re: possible resource
by Timothy Allen on Feb 19, 2002 at 12:15:19 am |
I'm not sure about exactly how they are done,(exact software etc.) but it's much more of a "graphics" project than a video one. 2D Graphics all the way.
I feel the same way about ad critic. I posted my comments on their demise on the cowmunications forum a couple of weeks ago.
I suggest checking out IFILM.com. It's annoying to have to watch I FILM's 5 second ad before every clip, but the VW one just might be there.
| | | | |
• | | | | | Re: possible resource
by Tim Kolb on Feb 19, 2002 at 10:10:31 pm |
Thanks, guys. I had an employee run a VHS tape for 6 hours the other night to try and catch one. There was only one, but I've got a clue about it now.
Softimage with a custom shader? ...and me with a client with a Premiere budget!
Thanks again.
Tim Kolb
| | | | |
• | | | |
Tim,
I think a similar look can be achieved with a good graphic artist that knows their way around Illustrator to create the drawings and an editor/compositor with a good handle on After Effects, especially the new 3D camera features.
The 3D cameras can fly around and past drawings without causing any distortion normally associated with Scaling in AE. Looks like a fun spot to create!
I guess if all pool our budgets together we might be able to get Adobe to create some special code for your edit..... NOT! :)
Walter
| | | | |
• | | | |  | Re: possible resource
by grinner on Feb 21, 2002 at 2:17:22 pm |
I finally saw this spot last night. Very effective. I love cell shaders anyway.
As walter mentioned, Tim. You really could achieve this look with pastel stills and the clever transitions. This would limit the animation of characters involved, losing the need for SoftImage.
I do love that one of the hottests looks in the 3D world is, well... 2D.
have fun
grin
| | | | |
• | | | | | Re: possible resource
by Tim Kolb on Feb 21, 2002 at 10:46:25 pm |
I don't think I agree with you guys on the ability to do that effect with a 2d software package...
I agree you can get the look, a 3d move around a flat drawing is just that.
Much of the image treatment can be easily achieved in 2d...but I suspect overall, more would be lost than you think by taking the camera rotations around objects out and strictly try to accomplish the whole thing with some sort of hot-rodded 'pan and scan' and zooming...
My opinion only of course.
Tim Kolb
| | | | |
• | | | | | Re: possible resource
by grinner on Feb 22, 2002 at 1:19:00 am |
Agreed, it won't be exact. An easy way of gettin' close to that premiere budget though.
grin
| | | | |
• | | | | | Re: I hear that...
by Tim Kolb on Feb 22, 2002 at 7:28:09 pm |
...indeed.
I hope you made a good wager with your wife on that Olympic logo thing...
Tim
| | | | |
• | | | |  | Re: Olympics VW spots...
by Nathan Downing on Feb 19, 2002 at 2:02:32 am |
According to an article in Shoot magazine, the spot was done by PSYOP in New York. They say most of the spot was done using Softimage XSI and they actually worked with Softimage to develop and code a shader written specifically for the spot. It also says the project, from concept to competion, took nearly three months! Must be nice to work on high budget commercials?!
| | | | |
| |
|
