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Scene 1 from "Appetite for Cargo"
Image courtesy of a52.
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Scene 2 from "Appetite for Cargo"
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300 dpi version here.


Scene 1 from "Frisky Predator"
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Scene 2 from "Frisky Predator"
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300 dpi version here.


Scene 1 from "Mucho Muscle"
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Scene 2 from "Mucho Muscle"
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300 dpi version here.

Contacts:
Roger Darnell
DWA for a52
1.828.264.8898

For Immediate Release

HOLLYWOOD — Award-winning Los Angeles visual effects company a52 today detailed its design, animation and effects work on an innovative set of new :05 ads from advertising agency RPA for the all-new Honda Fit.  The six spots – created to reflect the Fit’s subcompact size, and entitled “Appetite for Cargo,” “Frisky Predator,” “Nocturnal Flyer,” “Werewolves Beware,” “Speedy Demon” and “Mucho Muscle” – debuted on Apr. 20, and will continue airing during high-profile broadcast programming over the weeks ahead.

 “We’ve learned to rely on a52 as a partner in resolving visual challenges in ways that are truly extraordinary,” explained Gary Paticoff, RPA’s executive producer.  “Each of these :05 ads had a tall order to fill, and thanks to a52’s work, each stands alone as a unique, fitting testament to Honda’s new Fit.”

RPA’s project associate creative director Curt Johnson provided more information on these spots.  “For the Fit’s launch, we created a print/internet campaign showing one iconic-type character image (cartoon versions of a bat, a silver bullet, etc.) representing a unique feature of the Fit, followed by a picture of the car itself.  For this key component of the campaign’s broadcast elements, we asked a52 to bring the print imagery to life in six five-second spots… an attention-grabbing approach which creatively packages many of the ideas we wanted to convey about the Fit.”

To create each spot, a52’s team worked closely with Johnson and his agency colleagues, including associate creative director Todd Carey, creative directors Joe Baratelli and David Smith, and producer Sabrina Shamma.  a52 was instrumental in establishing the look and color-scheme for each spot, and in designing the animated backgrounds.  The original ad illustrations were used for each spot’s initial image, and the techniques for animating each image varied from the use of traditional cell animation to digital animation using Adobe After Effects and/or Discreet Flame.  The team of a52’s CG supervisor Andy Hall provided CGI versions of the Fit, and each was lit to match the initial image before being composited into its animated background.  Also, a52’s lead Flame artist on the project, Kirk Balden, used Flame to re-create backgrounds for a more 3D feel (“Nocturnal Flyer” and “Speedy Demon”), to animate them (“Mucho Muscle”) or simply to color-correct and vignette them for consistency.

“This was actually a pretty straightforward job,” Balden said.  “We were able to seamlessly address client tweaks and manage the animation process from beginning to end.  Having our staff geniuses in CG building amazing looking cars – onto which we could map any environment we wanted – saved us a lot of time and effort.”

a52’s team also included executive producer Mark Tobin, producer Jenny Bright, designer Michael Brown and 3D animators Chris Janney and Kirk Shintani.

The end-tags for each of these spots were created by the team from bicoastal Stardust Studios.  Each spot’s music was composed by Jimmy Haun of Elias Arts.  Sound design was courtesy of 740 Sound’s Eddie Kim, and each spot’s final mix was engineered by Loren Silber of Lime Studios.

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 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 1 from "Nocturnal Flyer"
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Scene 2 from "Nocturnal Flyer"
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Scene 1 from "Speedy Demon"
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Scene 2 from "Speedy Demon"
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Scene 1 from "Werewolves Beware"
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.


Scene 2 from "Werewolves Beware"
Image courtesy of a52.
Click on thumbnail for 72dpi image. 
300 dpi version here.