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DIGITAL DOMAIN AND DIRECTOR MARK ROMANEK GO ALL-CG AND PUSH THE LIMITS OF SPOT PRODUCTION |
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| Technology Developed For Day After Tomorrow Used To Create New Acura Commercial | |
Venice Beach, CA – CG artists at visual effects studio Digital Domain had to be smiling when their latest commercial creation for Rubin Postaer’s Acura client was slugged with the line “Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt.” After all, there was no driver, there was no car and there was no road. There was nothing until Digital Domain and Anonymous Content director Mark Romanek came together to create the entirely CG spot titled “Dance.” |
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We cut to a corkscrew ramp filled with identical Acuras moving in unison and hugging the curves. The camera swoops down and singles out one car to chase. Next, an RSX speeds along a coastal road; waves crash and spray over the shore rocks as the camera watches from afar and then moves in for a tighter shot. Another cut takes us to an impossible flying camera move weaving beneath the criss-crossed roadways of a complex highway interchange. After a few seconds, the camera finally finds the RSX racing alone and hurries to catch up behind it. More stunning visuals return us to that coastal road where a distant glacier’s façade breaks off into the water creating a sudden wave. The road in the foreground floods as the RSX narrowly escapes the deluge. In another scene, dark and twisted trees line a country lane. The camera waits at the end of the road as the RSX speeds directly for it. For the final shot, the camera pulls backwards over a dark, deserted surface as the RSX chases it down. In the end, both car and camera stop. Bits of gravel and dust are kicked up at the lens. At last, the chase is over. “Dance” reflects a gratuitous desire to drive. It has no message or theme other than the sheer pleasure one derives from driving a worthy car. With this, the burden lay on the visuals to be beautiful. “There is no voiceover and no on-screen text—this spot had to be beautiful and look nothing short of real,” said Digital Domain’s senior VP, general manager Ed Ulbrich. “Mark Romanek agreed to direct this commercial on the condition that it be entirely CG with no shoot days. After talking with his friend David Fincher, he was very interested in trying a project with our technology. ‘Dance’ was his opportunity to push CG as far as it will go.” To create a CG scene, every bit of matter must be created, placed and sometimes animated. Of course afterwards, everything must also be lit and the movements of a virtual camera must be created as well. Put in those terms, the advanced artistry and raw computing power are staggering. “There are computer generated landscapes, skies, trees, roads, leaves, and water spray hitting the lens. All the highways and buildings are created from scratch but so are the tiniest water droplets flying off the windshield and the gravel kicking up off the tires,” added Ulbrich. “In CG terms, this is as hardcore as a commercial can be.” Digital Domain recently raised the bar with the visual effects created for the major motion picture Day After Tomorrow. New software was written to address some of the film’s mammoth challenges. “’Dance’ uses some of our most recent proprietary software,” said Ulbrich. “Had we not done Day After Tomorrow, the water alone in this commercial would have been computationally impossible on a commercial schedule.” Scores of versions of “Dance” were created in search of the best possible end result. “It is one thing to shoot something and commit it to film,” explained Ulbrich. “Here you have complete control to do whatever you want and however you want to do it. It is a blank canvas. Objects can be added and removed, camera angles can be changed, day can turn to night and cloudy skies can be blue. We resist the temptation to try everything but there really are no limits. I see a lot more of this kind of production happening in the future.” ABOUT DIGITAL DOMAIN Founded in 1993, Digital Domain, Inc. has established a world-class reputation for innovation and artistry. Recipient of four Academy Awards, the studio has produced visual effects over the last ten years for films that have generated over $4 billion in worldwide theatrical box-office sales. In the world of commercials, Digital Domain is one of the industry’s largest and most honored creators of visual effects, including the cutting edge advertising campaigns for Adidas and Nike directed by David Fincher. The division consistently works with a stellar group of A-list directors including Michael Bay, Joe Pytka, Bruce Dowad, David Kellogg and Alex Proyas. Industry awards for the commercials division include numerous Clio awards, AICP awards, Cannes Lion awards as well as numerous other industry honors. Digital Domain is currently one of the largest digital studios in the world and hosts an integrated production studio that includes divisions for Feature Film Visual Effects, Commercial Production, Music Videos, Location Based Entertainment and Feature Film Development. # # # Press Contact: Fran Koenig (203) 661 5090, koenigpr@optonline.net CREDITS FOR: Acura RSX "Dance" :30Agency: Rubin Postaer & Associates Shelley Eisner Senior Producer Mark Erwin Sr. VP Creative Director/AD Pat Mendelson Sr. VP Creative Director Brandon Levin Art Director Daniel Elmslie Copywriter Production Company: Anonymous Content Mark Romanek Director Lisa Margulis Executive Producer Jeff Baron Head of Production Scott Kaplan Producer Animation & Visual Effects by: Digital Domain, Inc., Venice, CA Ed Ulbrich Executive Producer Stephanie Gilgar Visual Effects Producer Brad Parker Visual Effects Supervisor Nikos Kalaitzidis CG Supervisor Jay Barton CG Supervisor John Allardice Previs Artist Stefan Gaillot Lead Compositor Krista Benson Compositor Rafael Colon Compositor Tom Allen Digital Artist Cris Blyth Digital Artist David Chan Digital Artist John Cooper Technical Director/Digital Artist Janelle Croshaw Digital Artist Karl Denham Digital Artist Greg Duda Digital Artist Craig Halperin Digital Artist Ron Herbst Digital Artist Carlos Lemus Digital Artist John Lima Digital Artist Richard Morton Digital Artist Chris Norpchen Digital Artist Youngsam Suh Digital Artist Dark Hoffman Matte Painter Daveed Schwartz Matte Painter Editing by: Spot Welders Michael Heldman Editor Sound Design by: Agoraphone Alec Empire Songwriter |
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