(October 7, 2008) To promote the new series, WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES, which premiered September 28, National Geographic turned to BIGSMACKtv.
WTF is a reality-based program focusing on the tough guys who repair everyday things — but on a massive scale: think 747’s, towering dams, and faulty nuclear reactors. The show is hosted by the magnetic but legit Sean Riley, a rigging expert who works side by side with the engineers who actually tackle these challenges for a living.
The assignment: a :30 promo for a show that was still in production, without using footage but wanting to show the host in extreme scenarios. Print & on-air deadlines were looming. Sounds like a show in itself.
The angle: create a massive world out of nothing — a giant CG “industrial wasteland” with Riley right in the middle of it.
With grit and innovation worthy of WTF, BIGSMACK put together a live-action green-screen shoot in Los Angeles, directed by Andy Hann. In tandem with Nat Geo’s editorial of show footage and compelling audio, BIGSMACKtv’s animation team created a completely CG realm with immense 747’s, mammoth oil tankers, vast cargo planes, and gargantuan nuclear cooling towers – that come tumbling down around Riley who is seamlessly composited into the scene.
“For World’s Toughest Fixes, Nat Geo desired a higher level of detail than their customary minimalist approach to promo graphics -- and in a short period of time. The WTF promo had many CG elements ranging from large landscapes to rolling dust and many custom models. Shot entirely on a greenscreen stage, fabricated camera moves added to the large-scale feel of the spot. All of the 3d work was done in Maya with the final composite completed in Shake.” says Jeremy Fernsler, Art Director at BIGSMACKtv.
The decision: a clean finish: a fierce and handsome CG promo of some of the most daunting, colossal man-made entities and the folks who fix them that scores an “I gotta see that!”
Click here to view National Geographic WTF Promo
About BIGSMACKtv
Based in Philadelphia, PA, BIGSMACKtv is to promo what hot-sauce is to chili – that little bit of spice that makes all the difference. Specializing in the creation of broadcast promos, motion graphics, and entertainment branding, BIGSMACKtv is the babyface who brings the guts and the poetry to promo and produces it all in state-of-the-art facilities. This new boutique-style studio focuses on delivering promotion campaigns in innovative ways for traditional clients in the network and cable television field. BIGSMACKtv can be reached at
www.bigsmack.tv
Credits:
Creative Director: ANDY HANN
Head of Production: MILES DINSMOOR
Senior Producer: HEIDI ERNEY
Lead VFX Artist: JEREMY FERNSLER
Editor: CHRIS MAGLIOZZO
Director: ANDY HANN
D.P. : ANDREW TURMAN
3D Modelers / Animators: STEVEN BROWING, MARK WURTS, TOM SCHIRO
EP: BOB LOWERY
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