08.09.2009
Crash + Sues rebuilds Architectural Wonders of the World
In an innovative FX-driven broadcast campaign for Bridger Steel |
It’s not every day that CRASH+SUES animators and visual effects artists get to rebuild and enhance the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon and the Pyramids of Giza, but they recently had the opportunity to skillfully manipulate these wonders of the ancient world in a trio of inventive spots for Bridger Steel.
The campaign’s three 15-second spots from Flying Horse Communication/Bozeman, Montana, first introduce the landmarks as they look today with stock footage of the Great Wall’s crumbling stone, the Parthenon’s long-faded marble beauty, and the Pyramids’ eroding sandstone. The voiceover then asks what these architectural icons would look like if they had originally been crafted of steel.
CRASH+SUES FX team 3D tracked, rotoscoped, keyed and composited new CG elements into selected iconic scenes. A pan of the Chinese landscape reveals a tower fortress built of steel. A wide shot of the Acropolis shows the hill capped by a shining steel Parthenon. And a pull back on the Egyptian desert finds a gleaming steel pyramid nested among its sandstone counterparts. “Isn’t your home worthy of steel?” asks the voiceover. “Bridger Steel – Create Lasting Beauty.”
The spots are part of a long-term growth plan for Montana-based Bridger Steel and a key component of a major rebranding effort by Flying Horse Communications.
“It’s been fun to see the broadcast campaign come to life,” says agency creative director JC Estensen who worked with CRASH+SUES previously, when he was based out of Minneapolis. “These spots are the first Bridger has done of this caliber. CRASH+SUES was as excited about them as we were - and their team developed and shared some innovative ideas with us throughout the campaign’s evolution. It’s been an absolutely fantastic creative partnership.”
CRASH+SUES CG artist Matt Sattler modeled and textured photorealistic steel representations of the Great Wall guard tower and the Parthenon in Autodesk’s Maya. He then exchanged those files with Flame artist Adam Celt to animate and composite into the hero shots. Sattler provided color, specular highlights, reflections, and normal mapping passes, which gave Celt the ability to relight scenes with maximum interactivity in client-supervised sessions. Celt created the pyramid entirely in Flame, adding shadows and reflections.
Dealing with the various stock footage elements posed a challenge as the scenes had been shot with different lenses and on an array of prosumer-format cameras, which the FX team was tasked with tracking and matching. Several scenes required sky replacements, and Sue Lakso color corrected numerous passes in order to match scenes taken from differing times of the day and seasons to achieve a more uniform and seamless look.
Smoke artist Mark Anderson also contributed to the compositing, performed the online, and finished the spots with an animated end tag created by Sean Hall in Maya and After Effects. CRASH+SUES also provided 4K renders of the 3D models to be used for print ads and billboards.
“Part of our goal with the Bridger campaign is to get across the idea that steel can be warm, inviting and beautiful in addition to long lasting,” notes JC Estensen. “Not many people think of steel as a design element, but it can be a striking design aesthetic. Working with CRASH+SUES on the spots really raised the bar. It’s why I’m comfortable calling on them time and again.”
CRASH+SUES is an award-winning post production company specializing in the seamless integration of FX, animation, motion design, color correction, creative editing, finishing and multimedia services.
CLIENT/PRODUCT: Bridger Steel: Creating Lasting Beauty broadcast campaign CATEGORY: 3x :15 broadcast spots, plus print and billboard
TITLES: The Pyramids; The Great Wall; The Parthenon. AD AGENCY: Flying Horse Communication/Bozeman, Montana: CEO: Mike Gold; CD/AD/ COPYWRITER/PRODUCER: JC Estensen; ACCOUNT MANAGER: Gareth Gold. FX + POST HOUSE: CRASH+SUES/Minneapolis: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Donna Drewick; ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Stephanie Szeremeta; COLORIST: Sue Lakso; JR COLORIST: Matthew Jensen; ONLINE EDITOR: Mark Anderson; ONLINE ASSISTANT: Matthew Kroese; FLAME ARTIST: Adam Celt; CG ANIMATOR: Matt Sattler; ANIMATOR: Sean Hall. STOCK FOOTAGE: Corbis; Getty Images /AUDIO POST COMPANY: Peak Recording/Bozeman: ENGINEER: Gil Stober. MUSIC: Snap! Music Pro/Bozeman:COMPOSERS: DJ Hofer, Paul Durham.
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