Press Release

New York visual effects studio Guava (www.guavanyc.com) tackled some
serious issues in their recent seven-spot campaign with United Way and
the NFL. Utilizing Massive Software for visual effects, the spots are
airing during this year’s football season.
Guava approached the spots early on by getting involved with the
production company. “We discussed using Massive as a way to save time
on the shoot, and it was very exciting to see all the digital
characters come to life,” said Alex Catchpoole, the visual effects
supervisor on the project at Guava.
In “Storybook,” the viewer sees a bespectacled Keith Brooking, an
offensive linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, reading “Green Eggs and
Ham” in what appears to be a small classroom. As he holds up the book
to show the children the pictures, the camera pans out to show the
‘room’ is much larger than imagined. In fact, the multitudes of
children seem to grow and fill up a football stadium, courtesy of
Massive Software’s crowd-replicating abilities. The spot closes with a
voiceover announcing the problem of illiteracy in America’s youth, and
a call to action by volunteering at United Way
For “Storybook,” Guava initially faced what seemed a monstrous
challenge of making 150 kids fill up the LA Coliseum, a venue that can
hold up to approximately 160 thousand people. “The children had to fill
every seat and cover the playing field as well,” explains Catchpoole.
In traditional crowd replication, a group of extras is shot in various
locations. These areas are then patched together, a process that would
have been nearly impossible for this spot.
“This was a difficult shoot,” commented Catchpoole. Aside from the
energy of 150 kids, we had the task of wrangling them into various
seats. Just getting three or four plates was tough, so it would have
been crazy to do the hundreds of plates needed to fill the stadium.
This job could not have been done without Massive. With this software,
you’re not animating in a conventional sense. You’re actually setting
up behaviors ‘ characteristics, movements, and motivations. We
basically created the entire crowd of 160 thousand kids from scratch in
3D and then added the extras.”
Tech Tools: Autodesk Flame, Massive.
To view the spot "Storybook," please visit: www.guavanyc.com/movies/unitedway.mov