Video Box Studios Adds Motion Graphics Dept.

Leading creative digital facility, Video Box Studios, based in West Hollywood, recently contributed their CG and animation flair to three new graphics packages for A&E, Bravo and ABC shows.

This past December the company hired Creative Director and Partner, Jason Hearne, to help build its new state-of-the-art CG and Animation department to handle such graphics projects, which boasts Maya and Cinema 4D along with compositing software, After Effects. “Depending on the complexity of the animation, the job can be handled by one or multiple artists,” said Hearne. “If it does require multiple artists then the job is split evenly among the other designers. The job sits on the "Fibre" (the Xserve Raid connected to all computers) and the artist creates his own projects from the original job.”

All computers are jacked through Fibre Channel and run the Xsan Technology. Xsan allows for many operators to use the same files at once without permission problems. This allows an artist to jump from seat to seat without sacrificing productivity.

With the new graphics department in place the team recently completed a show open for Tabloid Wars, a new Bravo Original about the Daily News vs. the New York Post. "Bravo came to us after being disappointed in their previous hire to create their entire graphics package," said Hearne. "They [Bravo] have a very simple look, but the science behind that look is intense. They know exactly what they like and won't stop until they get it."

Once the job commenced, Video Box Studios worked with producer Bradley Warden to shoot the necessary props on an insert stage (such as newspapers on green screen, etc.) needed to make it unique and to keep a sense of realism. Due to the tight deadline, artists worked side by side creating the rest of the show‚s graphics such as attributes, lower thirds, and I.D.s. along with compositing (After Effects) making up the "flat" effect Bravo enjoys across their brand.

In addition to the Bravo show open the company also completed show interstitials for the ABC program, Sons and Daughters, and main titles for the A&E realty program, God or the Girl. A raw hand held approach was employed to capture the overall feeling for Sons and Daughters. The Producers wanted the show graphics (the ID’s for each character) to have a similar feeling to the hand held camera motion that was present from start to end. This treatment gives it a gritty feel and the idea was to create the inside of a worn and somewhat tattered photo album.

“We had to create photo album paper that didn't look digital that depicted tears, bends, and stains that in any other circumstance would have been removed if it was accidentally shot that way,” said Hearne. “It came out great and looked like a photo album you would have in the house for decades.”

The final graphics package was for A&E’s reality program, God and the Girl, which follows four young men on their way to the priesthood and the temptations and tribulations they face along the way.

Prior to the three show packages the busy studio recently wrapped the entire Fall and Winter campaign for Mid West department store chain, Carson Pirie Scott, owned by Saks Fifth Avenue, for ad agency Laughlin / Constable, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The studio completed an unprecedented 64 commercials which rolled out as Carson Pirie Scott’s broadcast campaign for the holiday season.
The spots were a campaign based on the concept of women seeing their lives unfold in the context of a fashion magazine which was created by some very fine and detailed CG work.

“Jason would help the director shoot all the models on green screen and then build this 3D world which would include snowy mountain slopes, city streets, trees∑‰ said Justin Hixon, Partner and Creative Director for Video Box Studios. „We put these models looking at themselves inside of this CG magazine, surrounded by these amazing settings.”