RELEASES

.COMPLETE CREDITS HERE.
 
 

Scene 1 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
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Houdini screengrab 1 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
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300 dpi version here.


Scene 2 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
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Scene 3 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
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300 dpi version here.


Scene 4 from Nike "Magnet"
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Scene 5 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
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Contacts:
Roger Darnell
DWA for a52
1.828.264.8898

For Immediate Release

HOLLYWOOD — Clio-winning Los Angeles visual effects and design company a52 today detailed their visual effects and design work for RSA USA and award-winning film, music video and commercial director Jake Scott for Wieden+Kennedy’s new Nike spot entitled “The Magnet.”  The :90 spot had its broadcast debut during the NBA Playoffs on May 19, and is also set to run nationwide in theatres before screenings of Spiderman 2.

The spot begins with a gorgeous panoramic scene off the northern California coastline moving in over jumping dolphins and rollicking waves to discover five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong cycling along on a high-speed training ride.  Outpacing a passenger train, Armstrong’s magnetism soon attracts a flock of geese, a gang of bikers, kids inside a hospital and – back on a remote road – a herd of buffalo.  Armstrong pushes on through a rain storm, amidst flocks of fireflies and bats, before arriving in San Francisco where a throng of amateur racers literally fills the streets behind him.  At last, momentarily solo again, the champ’s attractive force helps a young boy on his BMX close the gap between them.

The project’s creative and production teams worked closely with a52 for start-to-finish support.  To capture perfect performances from each animal actor (besides the buffalo), a52’s CGI team led by 3D supervisor Denis Gauthier created the opening scene’s dolphins, as well as each goose, firefly and bat that appears.  The opening scene’s crashing waves were also enhanced by the CGI team, using 3Dequalizer by Science-D-Visions to track the live-action footage, then creating the CG water in the finished scene using Side Effects Software’s Houdini.  The creatures were also created using Houdini and Deep Paint 3D, rendered with Pixar’s Renderman and composited in Silicon Grail Chalice. 

After filming Armstrong in-action on the green screen stage at Austin Studios in Texas, Scott captured the spot’s extensive location imagery in San Francisco and other remote areas in northern California with a photo-double for the celebrity sports star.  At a52’s studio, led by visual effects supervisor Patrick Murphy, a52’s visual effects team replaced the double’s face and shoulders with Armstrong’s as necessary throughout the spot. 

Moving through the spot, here’s a quick rundown of a52’s other visual contributions:  Macro shot that moves up from bike pedals to Armstrong’s face (filmed on green screen), composited Armstrong into scene and added bikers into background plate; shot with bikers, head replacement; overhead scene of buffalo, composited multiple layers of live-action buffalo; rain scene, added rain and lighting effects; firefly scene, head and shoulders replacement and added CGI fireflies; tunnel scene, composited in Armstrong  (filmed on green screen) and CGI bats; tunnel exit, lighting effects and added CGI bats; Armstrong rides down hill at night, crane removal; Armstrong in city, head and shoulders replacement. 

For most of the spot’s scenes, a52’s team also replaced skies, enhanced colors and provided clean-up to remove rigs, etc.

Ranking the spot among the firm’s top 10 of all time, Patrick Murphy acknowledged the common vision of W+K’s creative team and Jake Scott which brought the project together as smoothly as possible.  Also commenting on the many ways the spot leveraged a52’s strengths, Murphy added, “The project challenged all departments, not just CGI or 2D.  Even though it was split into multiple shots for CGI to create their photoreal elements, their work was constantly flowing into our 2D departments so that we could integrate the pieces for Jake and the creatives to see it all coming together.  As a result, it was a total team effort.”

The team for Wieden+Kennedy included creative director Hal Curtis, creative director/copywriter Mike Byrne, art director James Selman and producer Vic Palumbo.

Together with Patrick Murphy, executive producers Rick Hassen and Darcy Leslie Parsons and producer Scott Boyajan oversaw the project for a52.  a52’s 3D animators were Gauthier, Jeff Willette and Craig Halperin, and on-set VFX supervisor Westley Sarokin also supported the project as 2D animator.

Production was overseen by RSA USA’s executive producer Fran McGivern and producer David Mitchell.  Max Malkin served as the project’s director of photography and Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3 handled telecine.  The editorial team from Rock Paper Scissors was comprised of editor Angus Wall, producer Dave Sellars and assistant editor Dave Anderson.  The spot’s music, composed by Dave Wittman and Jimmy Haun at Elias Arts Los Angeles with support from creative director David Gold and head of production Dayna Turcotte, features the vocal talents of Kathleen Fisher.  The sound was designed by creative director Dane Davis and Eddie Kim at 740 Sound/Danetracks with help from producer Scott Ganary, and Jeff Payne at Eleven Sound Studios in Santa Monica mixed the final audio.

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, visual effects design company a52 creates award-winning imagery for the world’s most visually ambitious commercial and television projects.  Having relocated to Santa Monica in 2007, the company’s work has earned AICP Show recognition for 11 consecutive years along with recent “Outstanding Commercial” Emmy, Andy, BDA, Belding, Clio, British Design and Art Direction, International Monitor, International Automotive Advertising, London International Advertising, One Show and PROMAX awards.  For more information, please call 1.310.586.0650 or visit www.a52.com.

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Scene 6 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Houdini screengrab 2 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Scene 7 from Nike "Magnet."
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.

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