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Los Angeles visual effects and design company A52 today detailed their role in handling visual effects for a pair of high-powered new Cadillac broadcast spots from chemistri in Detroit. Directed by Daniel Barber via Rock Fight in Los Angeles, the first :30 entitled ?Marquee? debuted earlier in Dec., and ?Asphalt,? the second :30, premiered on Dec. 15.
Filmed in various locations in downtown Dallas, both spots were crafted by Barber and Rock Paper Scissors editor JD Smyth to dramatically showcase the raw power and the fun of driving the new Cadillac STS. In ?Marquee,? a lucky driver races through the deserted city, approaching an illuminated marquee that reads, ?Performance and luxury don?t mix.? As the car speeds by, the sign?s light bulbs explode. In ?Asphalt,? the vehicle aggressively wends its way toward an ?Only imports are fun to drive? painting on the ground, then does a power skid right across the words.
A52?s lead Inferno artist Tim Bird appreciated the agency?s strong, direct project creative, and also the contributions from JD Smyth. ?JD did a great job of finding a subtle balance between the quieter and more dramatic moments leading up to the final explosion of the bulbs in the marquee and the power-slide across the graphic.?
The project?s visual effects involved some 2D set dressing of the downtown environment and the combination of multiple telecine passes to create the unusual color palette. Additional work was applied to the explosion sequence to enhance the choreography and to ensure that the explosion extinguished all the light bulbs. The skid marks across the asphalt were also created in Inferno.
?These spots demonstrate how simple strong ideas lead to efficient and uncomplicated execution of both the offline edit and final online effects,? Bird concluded. ?No drama, no fuss, no endless revisions. The final results were highly polished and the car looks great.?
In reviewing the final spots, A52?s executive producer Mark Tobin also acknowledged the director?s unique contributions. ?Daniel has a really nice, clean way of taking a spot to a new level while keeping the integrity of the creative fully intact,? he said.
chemistri?s project team included creative director Daniel Hennessy, copywriters Colin Selikow and Steve Simoncic, art director Paul Weideman and producer Andy Halleck. Production was overseen by Rock Fight?s executive producers Ned Brown and Melissa Culligan and producer Matt Brown. Steven Blackman and Alain Betrancourt were the directors of photography. Stefan Sonnenfeld served as colorist for Company 3 in Santa Monica.
The editorial team from Rock Paper Scissors in Los Angeles included editor JD Smyth, executive producer Linda Carlson, producer Dex Deboree and assistant editor Pete D?Andrea. Along with Mark Tobin and Tim Bird, A52?s team also included producer Scott Boyajan and support artist/online editor Ben Looram.
The spot?s sound design was courtesy of Chicago?s Genuine Music and composer/sound designer John Ferreira. The mix was handled by Brian Gold at Gold Sound in Detroit. Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Gary Sinise provided both spots? voiceover tags.
About A52
Established in 1997 as a home for the very latest high-end photo- real visual effects technologies and the industry?s most innovative and talented graphic design artists, West Hollywood visual effects and design company A52 creates award-winning imagery for the world?s most visually ambitious commercial and television projects. The company?s work has earned AICP Show recognition for five consecutive years along with recent Outstanding Commercial and Outstanding Main Title Design Emmys, Andy, BDA, Clio, British Design and Art Direction, International Monitor, International Automotive Advertising, London International Advertising, One Show and PROMAX awards. For more information, please call Mark Tobin at 310.385.0851 or visit www.A52.com.
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