Posted: October 7th, 2009 |
If you are one of the countless millions who lie awake at night all over the world, wondering just what Linds, Dan and Kiri are up to now, you can now follow the adventures of New Zealands hardest working little animation studio on Twitter.
Posted: June 8th, 2009 |
At long last. After years of trying, we’ve finally made it on to Stash. Our recent co production with Fusion Studios in California for Whole Water appears on the Stash 56 edition. If you’re not familiar with Stash, It’s a monthly DVD compilation of the best in animation, CGI and visual effects work from around the world. They are very picky about the submissions they choose to publish and the quality of the work is always very high, so we are mightily chuffed to be included. StashMedia are based in Vancouver, Canada.
Stash 56 Magazine page. Click to enlarge.
Posted: April 13th, 2009 |
Since is all gone a bit quiet out there – and in a pathetic and completely transparent attempt to maintain an outward impression of industry – we’ve uploaded a few “oldies but goodies” from our extensive back catalog of finely crafted little gems. Here’s a chance to take a (short) shuffle down memory lane, re-living those golden care-free days of yore, where tv ads were full of clever ideas and amusing characters rather than just really big prices and REALLY SHOUTY VOICE-OVERS.
Laugh along with your old friends Mushy and Sprouty from the Maggi ads, caper gaily with the cute little red guy from the SuperBank ad. Recoil in horror as the adorable Monteiths bunny cooks and eats his best friend. Barely suppress a titter as that meathead from the Starburst spot sets fire to his own appendage. Ah yes, it’s all coming flooding back now.. such happy days.
Posted: March 29th, 2009 |
We’re happy to announce that our latest project for Fonterra has made it onto the esteemed Motionographer website.
Posted: March 25th, 2009 |
FusionCI Studios. Santa Monica CA.
Fusion CI Studios and Department of Motion Graphics pooled talents recently to create this lively spot for New Zealand creative agency, Sugar and client, Fonterra. Fonterra’s new water product, ‘Whole’, leaps into the air then transforms itself into shape after shape — first a brain, then a bridge, then bananas — displaying a vigorous character and life of its own.
“From the moment we first laid eyes on the storyboard, we knew this was going to be one of the most challenging projects we had ever undertaken at DMG,” says Linds Redding, Creative Director. “If we had grasped at the time, just how challenging – we might well have thought twice about saying ‘yes’ with such unseemly haste. From the outset, we realised we were going to need some specialist help and we were lucky enough to fall into league with the brilliant Mark Stasiuk of Fusion CI Studios in Santa Monica, California…”
CG fluids remain among the most confounding effects to achieve natural looks and behaviors, and to push that even further by morphing cg fluid into specific shapes demands advanced skill. Mark Stasiuk, co-owner and CG sup at Fusion CI Studios was very excited about DMG’s project as fluid morphing behavior is a technology his studio has been developing, with great results. To add the challenge of applying these new methods to a spot where fluid is a mischievous & clever main character was exhilarating… if not daunting.
“When we saw DMG’s treatment we were very keen to get involved,” says Mark. It was the perfect chance to really push our new technology to achieve some unique fluid fx that we haven’t seen outside feature film.”
The most challenging shot, both technically and artistically was one continuous 650-frame shot, done in a single, complex simulation, where ‘Whole’ water transforms from puddle to brain to bridge to bananas.
“Fluid looks most realistic and fluid-like when it’s in its natural fluid forms — droplets, puddles, streams, splashes, “explains Mark. “When you push fluid into a specific geometric shape, you’re forcing it to perform unnaturally, while still demanding it look like fluid. So as fluid transforms toward a highly detailed shape, you have to sculpt its motion so its behavior looks and performs naturally. In addition, you have to make sure only the exact quantity of fluid that will fit on the surface of the geometry is attracted to the surface. If you add too much fluid or distribute it badly, it will turn into a giant glob and you won’t see the details of the object. And once it’s on the shape, you don’t want it to look like a static ice-sculpture, so you have to develop ways of making the fluid continue to move as a still object, creating the illusion of fluid without destroying the details of the geometry. It’s tricky.”
The key to success was the open and ongoing communication among Fusion, DMG, Sugar and Fonterra, finding that delicate balance between the creative vision and the bounds of technology.
“It was a very interactive process” says Linds. “We would decide how we wanted the water to look and behave at any given point, and Mark would go away and write a piece of code that would give us the controls we needed to achieve what we wanted. We had a live Skype chat feed running constantly, and exchanged Quicktime movies and test renders via ftp daily.”
“DMG was an outstanding group to work with,” adds Mark. “They gave us the time and creative space we needed to make the fluids work, and had brilliant ideas on how to get the most out of the water. On top of that, their great camera work and lighting made the water look fabulous. The teamwork on this project created a startlingly unique and stunning piece that speaks for itself.”
The Whole project manifests a perfect working model for these tough economic times –two studios collaborating on a unique & challenging project by combining their strengths to create outstanding results.
We specialize exclusively in fluid & particle fx, so we don’t compete with our clients, we offer them a resource,” says Lauren Millar, co-founder and executive producer at Fusion. “Photo-real fluid fx demand detailed knowledge, methodologies and tools. Because that’s our focus, our clients come to us for their fluid fx rather than spending time & money to get up-to-speed on complicated fluids when awarded a project requiring them. The end result is a product that is infinitely better than each studio could do on its own. It’s a superb working model.”
Fusion CI Studios: Specializing in high-end fluid & particle fx for television, commercials and feature film, Fusion provides fluid asset packages, rendered images, fluid fx team supervision, consultation, pipeline development and tool-building. Fusion’s latest feature film project involved creating the first ever underwater explosion using RealFlow for Asylum VFX on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Department of Motion Graphics: A creatively-lead animation studio based in Auckland, New Zealand that specializes in designing and crafting unique, high quality motion graphics and animation solutions for advertising, broadcasting and film. Using a combination of traditional and computer based animation techniques and mixing 2D and 3D elements, DMG creates distinctive personalities for clients and their brands.
Contact:
Lauren Millar
Co-Founder/Executive Producer
Fusion CI Studios
310-928-1483
www.fusioncis.com
lauren@fusioncis.com
Posted: March 17th, 2009 |
We’ve just updated our on-line showreel again (yes I know, twice in one year, and it’s only March!), to include momentary glimpses of one or two of recent projects we’re quite chuffed with, as well as highlights from jobs over the past couple of years. A high resolution version of this movie is available on our public ftp site.
Posted: February 18th, 2009 |
Yes I know.. we’re just so hip-hop and happening! If you just can’t let a day pass without getting the latest news from your favorite neighbourhood animation studio, you can now subscribe to our very own syndicated FeedBurner RSS feed, and have the latest hot new work and studio news sent directly to your computer. Astound and amaze your friends. Never get sand kicked in your face again. Send no money now!
And if you’ve absolutely no idea what we’re talking about, find out all you need to know here.
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