Posted by: admin on 11.10.2011
Click 3X recently wrapped a series of visually stunning promos for a pair of exciting new shows from long-time client PBS: PBS Arts Fall Festival and the universe-dissecting Nova series. Gearing up their best animation, compositing, design and VFX, the studio churned out a brilliant parade of imagery to promote the two new series.
“We’ve worked with Click 3X for years with great success and results, and they’ve become one of our go-to design companies,” noted PBS Senior Creative Director John Ruppenthal. “A lot of companies will listen, but they don’t always hear. Click is different - they adapt and adjust to our feedback and come through with an end-product that is perfect every time. Plus, their versatility is astounding - that they can dive in and bring such polar opposite ideas as we have in these two campaigns to life is absolutely unreal.”
“PBS wanted some attention-grabbing work that would capture the essence of these two great shows, and they knew Click 3X could handle it,” noted Click 3X Managing Director David Edelstein.
The PBS Arts Fall Festival is at the center of the network’s fall lineup, offering full-length musical and theatre performances, artist and performer profiles, behind-the-scenes documentaries and mini-films about the wide array of art scenes across the US.
Click 3X spent the summer collaborating with the PBS team to develop the project. The key was to find a way to spotlight beautifully shot thematic moments, as well as upcoming show footage, in a way that illustrated how such diverse performances could all come together in one place. By featuring a blend of powerful, brilliantly colored graphics and star-studded footage, Click was able to harness that sensibility, first with an internal sizzle, and then through a long lead tease, promos, and key show packaging.
“We wanted to illustrate how the arts festival embraced the entire nation,” stated Creative Director Ders Hallgren. “Of course, when you’re dealing with such renowned artists, the promotions have to equal the fantastic art that the shows profile, so we had to pull all of our creative powers together to develop some really knock-out stuff.”
Nova’s Fabric of the Cosmos, starring acclaimed physicist and author Brian Greene, explores a series of compelling questions that lie beneath the surface of our everyday existence: What is space made of? Is time travel possible? Can you exist in other universes? In its promos, Click 3X beckons potential viewers to the series with an illustration of the Big Bang in reverse; a high-speed, twisting ride through the cosmos, past masses of celestial bodies blinking in and out of the picture in a series of explosions and a flutter of disintegrating and reforming matter.
Click 3X worked with Greene and the PBS team over a several-month period to cater the promotion directly to the series’ main message points. After a comprehensive design phase that explored the use of live-action, illustration, and both 2D and 3D animation, the teams agreed upon a final look. Click 3X then joined forces with accomplished matte painter Bill Mather (Star Wars trilogy, Forrest Gump) to create the sequence’s look, which they executed in Maya and Flame under the creative direction of Click 3X artist Theo Maniatis.
“These projects really showcase our team’s ability to create compelling design fused seamlessly with our powerful VFX and 3D divisions,” shared Hallgren. “We were thrilled with the opportunity to work with PBS on such wild rides, both across our nation and through space.”
Credits:
PBS Arts Fall Festival
Creative Director - Ders Hallgren
Art Director - Miguel Hernandez
Designer - Lisa Ackley
Designer / Animator - Miguel Delcan
2D Animation / 3D Animation - William Decker
2D Animation / 3D Animation - Wes Richardson
Managing Director - David Edelstein
Executive Producer - Rob Meyers
Executive Producer - John Levy
Nova’s Fabric of the Cosmos
Creative Director - Ders Hallgren
Creative Director / VFX - Theodore Maniatis
Designer - Lisa Ackley
2D Animation / 3D Animation - Mark Rubbo
CG - Clay Budin
CG - Sung Kim
CG - Santish Sailesh
Managing Director - David Edelstein
Executive Producer - Rob Meyers
Producer - Maddy Yasner
Executive Producer - John Levy
Posted by: admin on 10.21.2011
Now to be clear from the start, this is not (God help us) newly discovered, classic porn starring Dave Attell, but the comedian (along with some A-list pals), delivering commentary over those straight-from-the-room-with-the-swinging-door-in-the-corner-of-the-video-store flicks from the 70s and early 80s.
But the story here is not about this eight-part, not-to-be-missed Showtime series that debuted Oct. 20. Rather, we’re here to talk about the editorial and post masterminds with enough swagger to splice Attell and friends’ hilarious content with commentary from living porn legends as they share the raunchy behind-the-scenes scoop on these erotic gems: Click 3X.
Over the course of a year, the shop worked closely with Dave, doing everything but filming this grainy, cheesy smut of yesteryear, editing, designing, animating and handling audio for each 30-minute episode. Much of the work came in rendering, as the entire series is shot against a green screen, with the film later added to the footage of Dave and his posse on the couch.
“Making a series for a premium network on a very, very small budget is a daunting task, and I needed a production house that could take me from editing through sound and design and help me deliver a finished project in spite of this,” stated Attell. “Click 3X, with their relaxed and confident team, did all of this and then some, taking a lot of pressure off of me to deliver my series on time. I was not treated as just some client, and had amazing access to all of the studio’s services. They never ceased to amaze me in their ability to turn any idea into something great. Also, they serve beer and have a foosball table, so what more can you want? I can’t wait to work with them again.”
“The big challenge here was to find a balance of raunchiness and absurdity without being too explicit for broadcast,” noted Click 3X Editor Jeremy Baumann. “After a while, you forget you’re dealing with porn - especially as the films of this era were much funnier, more story-based, and less hardcore than what you see today (not that I’m accusing you of watching the stuff or anything). After some trial and error, we found that the best strategy was just to be upfront with the people we hired to work on the project and make sure they were comfortable. At the end of the day, it was about Dave and his guest - the porn was secondary.”
Attell brought Baumann in to work on the entire series after the pair worked on the pilot and a few other items together. “I came to Click 3X to work with my most favorite editor, Jeremy B.,” said Attell. “He really has a great eye for comedy, so it was only natural that I would want him to help me make the show. I can’t say enough about Mr. J; he is the most patient guy in the world - we spent many a night working on this show and I owe him big time. Jeremy rocks! Rob Meyers, Brian Scibinico and Sarah Cortese helped round out the core creative postproduction team and I also cannot thank them enough for their patience and hard work.”
Learn more about the show on Dave’s Old Porn website (http://www.davesoldporn.com/), on Facebook and on Twitter.
Credits:
Post/Effects: Click 3X
Editor: Jeremy Baumann
Designer / Animator: Sarah Cortese
Managing Director: David Edelstein
Executive Producer: Rob Meyers
Associate Producer: Maddy Yasner
Creative Director: Ders Hallgren
Assistant Editor: Jason Lowther
Flame Artist: Chris Memoli
Flame Artist: Dan Bowhers
Flame Artist: Liz Berndt
Audio Engineer: Brian Scibinico
About Click 3X:
Click 3X and its interactive division ClickFire Media create engaging film, TV and web content. Positioned at the intersection of entertainment, advertising, and technology, the studios work in tandem or autonomously. Click 3X shoots, edits, designs, animates and creates VFX, while ClickFire Media brings those disciplines into the interactive space. Click 3X operates a full service, 11,000 square foot state of the art studio in Manhattan outfitted with 50 fulltime staffers. In 2010 audio post-production division, Sounds Like Click was launched to provide sound design, mixing and original music services.
Read more: http://www.trustcollective.com/portfolio/content/click3x_davesoldporn.php#ixzz1bRZgzdcf
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Posted by: admin on 10.11.2011
When the third season of HBO’s Bored to Death debuted on Oct. 10, it featured VFX by premier postproduction studio Click 3X. Click 3X’s handiwork will be apparent from the final shot of the first episode to the opening sequence of the second episode, in which show star Jason Schwartzman finds himself hanging from the hour hand of an iconic Brooklyn clock tower as his friend Ray (played by Zach Galifianakis) comes to his rescue.
To create the scene, Click 3X was responsible for 18 shots using multiple source plates from stills to live action, from different types of cameras with the addition of completely generated CG assets. These different mediums had to live in the same space to create a seamless final composite.
After a recent successful collaboration between Click 3X’s Theodore Maniatis and Chris Kiser and Bored to Death producer Brad Carpenter on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie, a follow-up act seemed natural. “For such a complex sequence, the Bored to Death team knew they needed a VFX shop experienced with on-set supervision, photoreal CGI animation, and high-level compositing to pull off the feat,” noted VFX Producer/EP Chris Kiser. “Click 3X is that shop.”
Click 3X’s first step was to meet with the production team and set builders, determining the amount of built set versus virtual building, discussing the plates that would be shot, and deciding what would be needed for rig removal and cleanup. This process enabled a breakdown of specific angles to determine the needs for the live-action shoot and CGI animation.
The live-action clock face, built by the Bored To Death production team, was 75 percent of the real size; it included the bank building windows directly below the clock and some of the brick and façade in the area the actors would be performing. Click 3X dirtied up the set to match the surrounding, CGI-generated buildings.
CGI construction followed a separate route. Click 3X’s CG team built the 3D model of the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, tested for the look and motion of the proposed camera moves, then animated an early test and presented it to Director Michael Lehmann.
“Our main concern was to get as much brick reference for the hero building as possible, and from multiple angles,” noted Kiser. “The team spent time on the roof of nearby buildings with a telephoto lens, getting a vantage point across a lower section of the building and determining locations for shooting plates of the background and surrounding neighborhood.”
Click 3X achieved a weathered look by matte painting sections in Photoshop, adding different bricks and weathered elements onto stills of the CG, and using photogrammetry in Autodesk Flame. These new plates were then projected onto the moving shots using an imported 3D model of the building. This touch of realism added authenticity to the virtual building and gave credibility to the final scene of Schwartzman’s precariously dangling character.
To compensate for a qualitative difference between the bricks used in the set piece and those in the CGI building and reference stills, only the smallest amount of live action was used, and as much as possible of the real building was incorporated.
While the Bored to Death production relied on the Arri Alexa camera for primary shooting, Click turned to the Canon 5D and 7Ds for stills and city background plate shots in motion due to a need to be more mobile with a limited crew, and only having a small window of time to get what we needed.
Click 3X also used a Gigapan system on a 7D to tile together photos to make very large stitched still images. Click 3X compositors then spent time animating the still to create movement, making it look alive by adding blinking lights, a distant airplane and
moving traffic.
One of these sequences required Click to build a POV down at the street below as seen by Galifianakis’ character from the top of the Williamsburg Bank building. Click 3X shot plates of Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, but they lacked the sense of height and distance that was needed. Even though the shot was taken from close to the actual 37-story (512 feet) height, Click 3X realized that they needed to emphasize the vertigo effect Jason’s character would be experiencing.
In order to get the audience to feel this height, Click 3X completed a massive composite that scaled the scene to much greater lengths than the provided plate. Senior Click 3X Flame Artist Aaron Vasquez grabbed stills of the Manhattan plates, added other stills of Brooklyn building rooftops, and stitched them all together. He painted trees, changed the lighting of buildings, and animated cars, traffic, and even CG people from above to fill in the scene. The result was a fully animated street scene within a massive 16k plate.
“It was a joy to work closely with production to achieve the look they wanted,” Click 3X VFX Supervisor Theodore Maniatis. “As with all visual effects that are based in realism, our job was to match a virtual set to a real-world environment. There are many elements and qualities of being dozens of stories high above a city. It’s often difficult and sometimes impossible to recreate those elements fully on set, so it fell upon us to get that quality back into the live action plates from the principal shoot at Steiner Studios. I think our team did a great job here.”
Credits:
Client: HBO
Title: Bored to Death - Season 3
Air Date: 10/10/11
Post/Effects: Click 3X
Managing Director: Jason Mayo
Executive Producer: David Edelstein
VFX Producer/EP: Chris Kiser
Assistant Producer: Will Mok
VFX Supervisor: Theodore Maniatis
Flame: Aaron Vasquez
Flame: Liz Berndt
Flame: Dan Bowhers
CG Supervisor: Anthony Filipakis
CG Artist: Mark Rubbo
CG Artist: Spyro Serbos
Roto: Jeff Nelson
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Posted by: admin on 10.05.2011
Click 3X recently inked Senior Designer/Art Director Craig Hubbard, adding to an already impressive design line-up.
“I’ve been following Craig’s career for the last five or six years,” Click 3X Managing Director/Partner Jason Mayo said. “We met when he came to NYC and I was blown away by his design work. We started talking about the possibility of collaborating on something. The more we discussed where Click 3X was heading as a company, the more we noticed the synergy between us.”
“After having a casual sit down with Jason discussing my role and the future of the company, it was a no-brainer,” Hubbard said. “I look forward to working alongside Click’s extensive talent, as well as contributing to new and innovative projects.”
Prior to joining Click 3X, Hubbard owned his own studio. He has produced award-winning design work for VH1, MTV, Comedy Central, Bravo, Boeing and Polo. He has also done animation work for Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force as well as coloring comics for D.C and Marvel.
“We are very excited to have Craig on the Click 3X commercial team,” Creative Director Steve Tozzi said. “Craig has incredible range as a designer and I’m looking forward in seeing him in the mix on our current projects in-house.”
“I’ve always believed that when a special talent comes along, you find a place for them. No matter what the situation is.” Mayo said. “Craig is definitely that type of talent and we’re excited to get him in front of our client base.”
Posted by: admin on 10.03.2011
When CBS Sports wanted to create an exciting new graphic package for the 2011 U.S. Open, they teamed up with Manhattan-based Click 3X, a full-service creative group specializing in on-air promotion and network branding.
Click 3X was tasked with essentially revamping and rebooting the entire package of elements that the network had been using for the past five years in conjunction with this annual event, the fourth and final part of the tennis season’s Grand Slam (which includes the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon).
CBS Creative Director, Pete Radovich, had this to say about his experience working with Click 3X: “Having been through this process countless times, I can honestly say that the experience with Click 3X was one of the more pleasurable and pain-free projects I have ever been a part of.”
Held each year in August and September at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York City, The U.S. Open attracts the attention of players and fans throughout the tennis world. With tennis being an increasingly international sport, many of the top players—both male and female—are from outside the U.S.A., so the team had the added challenge of keeping the package relevant and timely for U.S. fans.
“It’s such a huge, exciting event—the biggest tennis tournament in the United States,” said Click 3X Art Director/Designer Miguel Hernandez. “Our first step was to look at the graphics from prior years, then we ran down all of our ideas until we could agree on a direction with CBS Sports. CBS is a well-oiled machine, so it was important to make sure that our ideas fit into their work flow.”
The Click 3X team then faced the task of having to retro-fit about 100 graphic elements into the existing framework. “We didn’t just give it a face-lift,” said Producer Jason Lowther. “We needed to rebuild the elements from the ground up while being sure we covered the functionality of the pre-existing package.” The team also shot back-plates, which were later composited with the graphic elements.
“It’s a pretty comprehensive package,” noted Lowther, “with front-end player profiles, logo transitions, billboards and sponsor elements—the crown jewel being the Open, which will air at the start of each day’s coverage.” Lowther continued, “We tried to capture the epic feeling that makes this event so special: the spectacle and sheer size of the event, the coming together of the international participants and the New York setting and crowds.
The elements were created in a modular fashion as quickly as possible. “The idea was to hit the main assets hard and design them fast. Then, we could fill in the rest of the package based on that,” explained Hernandez. “On a job like this, you have to approach it smartly so you’re not rebuilding everything from scratch.”
Using the Adobe suite of programs along with Maxon Cinema 4D, the team ultimately created a tool-kit so that CBS Sports could then take the elements and create whatever they needed. “It’s not just creating elements and handing it over to the client,” noted Lowther, “it’s about providing the tools so that CBS Sports could continue the creative process throughout the event.” Hernandez added, “We want them to be just as proud of the job as we are, so it means moving forward, graphically and philosophically, together.”
Apparently that was the case, as CBS’s Radovich attested, “They [Click 3X] hit every deadline, there was never any panic on their part, and most importantly, the end product was above and beyond what we were hoping for. Not sure what else you could ask for as a client.”
Credits:
Show Package Design: Click 3X Entertainment
Creative Director: Ders Hallgren
Art Director/Designer: Miguel Hernandez
Animator(s): David Morrison, Michael Schaeffer
Managing Director: David Edelstein
Executive Producer: Rob Meyers
Producer: Jason Lowther
About Click 3X:
Click 3X and its interactive division ClickFire Media create engaging film, TV and web content. Positioned at the intersection of entertainment, advertising, and technology, the studios work in tandem or autonomously. Click 3X shoots, edits, designs, animates and creates VFX, while ClickFire Media brings those disciplines into the interactive space. Click 3X operates a full service, 11,000 square foot state of the art studio in Manhattan outfitted with 50 fulltime staffers. In 2010 audio post-production division, Sounds Like Click was launched to provide sound design, mixing and original music services.
Read more: http://www.trustcollective.com/portfolio/content/click3x_usopen.php#ixzz1XBfZsG3j
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST
Posted by: admin on 09.29.2011
Sounds Like Click’s Emmy Award-winning Composer and Sound Designer/Mixer Brian Scibinico recently created several pieces of original music for the IAB MIXX Awards, the all-star interactive awards event. The tracks will debut at the Oct. 4 ceremony, and are a deft mixture of modern electronic and classical music.
The first piece, which accompanies the opening show graphics, is a two-minute, high-energy track featuring a massive breakbeat, intense staccato violins, soaring horns, and bubbly acid lines. Four additional one-minute pieces run during other parts of the ceremony. Each is sonically related to the opening piece, with the same sound palette, but with subtle modifications to perfectly accentuate the show’s moment.
The MIXX Awards are held during New York City’s Advertising week. The awards gala will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel- Times Square in New York City from 6-9p.m. on Monday.
Posted by: admin on 05.16.2011
Comm Arts featured Click 3X’s recent work with MTV on the “It’s A Thin Line Campaign” in this May 16, 2011 article. The campaign is aimed at stopping the spread of sexting, cyberbullying and digital dating abuse.
Read the full article here.
Posted by: admin on 03.28.2011
3.28.11 Press Coverage
JoeyTomatoes.com: Click 3X, MTV Join Obamas in Pushing Back on Bullies (JoeyTomatoes.com)
Dexigner: Click 3X, MTV Join Obamas in Pushing Back on Bullies
Motionographer: Click3x for MTV: MTV Anti-Bullying
Posted by: admin on 08.09.2011
Click 3X is making big strides with a few changes in the production lineup. Head of Production Chris Kiser was recently promoted to Executive Producer.
Since joining Click 3X, Kiser has produced multi-spot campaigns for Advil, web-based projects for LG and Buick, Rihanna’s Rude Boy music video, multiple GEICO campaigns, Lego CG and stop motion projects, as well as visual effects for the upcoming third season of HBO’s Bored to Death.
“Moving Chris into the Executive Producer slot was a very organic transition,” said Jason Mayo, Click 3X Managing Director and Partner. “Chris has a vast knowledge of the industry and more importantly understands the needs of our clients. He also has great capacity to manage their expectations and deliver above and beyond those expectations. It’s been a pleasure watching Chris grow here at Click 3X.”
Kiser’s promotion comes on the heels of the recent new hire of Senior VFX Producer, Jon O’Hara.
O’Hara is an award-winning producer, who has worked for many well-known brands, including Six Flags, Nickelodeon, Febreze and P&G. He has been nominated for several EMMYs, for projects the likes of Amazing Sports Stories and Terminator Salvation the Ride. He has produced top-notch work for Nash Entertainment- New York City, Ogilvy-New York City, and VMG-Cincinnati.
“We are very excited to bring Jon on-board, and look forward to the expertise he brings to our production team,” Kiser said. “Jon has a technical understanding and confidence that is apparent from the moment you meet him. He is going to fit right in here and is a welcome member of the Click 3X family.”
Posted by: admin on 06.16.2011
PromaxBDA: The Conference 2011, the event of the year for entertainment marketing professionals, begins today. Fresh off of creating the design package for the awards show, Click 3X will be live-blogging the event exclusively for Studio Daily.
Starting off its first installment with an interview with Creative Director Ders Hallgren and Sr. Art Director Miguel Hernandez (pictured at top), the Click 3X crew offers up an inside look at their NYC studio before they head off to their home away from home at the conference, as well as a sneak peek at their creative process for the awards show design package.
See the full video blog post on Studio Daily here.
Posted by: admin on 05.17.2011
How big of a deal is Lexus’ all-new CT Hybrid? It was such a big deal that the legendary automakers launched the 45-video MSN.com Fresh Perspectives original series in late April as part of the launch campaign to introduce the new vehicle. And for a big-time Web series, Lexus needed big-time postproduction talent, capable of matching the talents of media buying agency Team One, Microsoft Advertising’s Global Creative Solutions team, and creative agency Walton Isaacson, along with BRW USA Directors The Sniper Twins. Enter Click 3X, who rallied their full-service creative and editorial operation to provide all design, animation, graphics, editorial and color correction for the project.
“The Lexus project was great because it incorporated all of what we offer here at Click 3X. We collaborated with the Sniper Twins from the beginning about graphics, and set them up with our team of editors to discuss their vision. Everyone did a great job, and we are all really proud of the work. We are very proud of our capability to handle a project of this scope, both in the sheer volume of videos produced and the breadth of expertise necessary to produce a top-quality final product,” noted Click 3X CD Ders Hallgren. “While we have been handling VFX, color correction, and other post specialties for years, this project is an awesome showcase of our newly installed editorial capabilities.”
Fresh Perspectives features six young artists - chef Craig Thornton, collage artist and painter Augustine Kofie, fashion designer Robert James, paper sculptor Jeff Nishinaka, singer-songwriter V, and photographer Tod Seelie - who create original pieces around three themes - escape, challenge, and empower - over a 24-hour period. The themes are inspired by the CT Hybrid, which challenges convention as the most fuel-efficient luxury hybrid available. Click 3X takes the varied footage and stitches it into seamless narrative montages, capturing the essence of the diverse artistic talents with videos that are themselves supreme works of art.
Escape, for example, is a beautiful 5:00 piece blending the stories of four artists as they create inspiring projects depicting the theme of escape. Thornton wanders farmers markets and works assiduously in his cavernous kitchen to prepare a dish for 10 people that evokes a forest. Kofie stands before an enormous canvas in his L.A. studio, creating a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors and angles. James produces a wild screenprint T-shirt with a montage graphic of various vehicles in motion. Seelie wanders the tattered far edges of New York’s Far Rockaway, capturing an image of plastic bags hanging haphazardly from a forlorn patch of bushes.
Lexus is promoting the campaign across MSN.com, XBOX Live, and major social media sites. “As major brands migrate online for their flagship campaigns, it creates a vast array of possibilities as to what can be created, ditching the old restrictions of length and format,” stated Hallgren. “The post studios that thrive in this new environment will be those with a diverse skillset that can handle any facet of any project of any length, and I am proud to say that Click 3X is one of those places.”
Credits:
Agencies: Team One, Walton Isaacson
Microsoft Advertising Global Creative Solutions Team
Director(s): The Sniper Twins
Post Production: Click 3X
Creative Director: Ders Hallgren
Managing Director: David Edelstein
Executive Producer: Rob Meyers
Producer: Maddy Yasner
Animator: Dave Rogers
Editor(s): Rob James, Emily Sheskin, Sam Goetz, Nicole Turney
About Click 3X:
Click 3X and its interactive division ClickFire Media create engaging film, TV and web content. Positioned at the intersection of entertainment, advertising, and technology, the studios work in tandem or autonomously. Click 3X shoots, edits, designs, animates and creates VFX, while ClickFire Media brings those disciplines into the interactive space. Click 3X operates a full service, 11,000 square foot state of the art studio in Manhattan outfitted with 50 fulltime staffers. In 2010 audio post-production division, Sounds Like Click was launched to provide sound design, mixing and original music services.
Read more: http://www.trustcollective.com/portfolio/content/click3x_lexus.php#ixzz1OhBFahI6
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Posted by: admin on 01.24.2011
Interactive design powerhouse ClickFire Media recently executed a unique iPad app for Starz based on its popular TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. ClickFire collaborated closely with Starz, developing the app concept, designing its graphics, and managing the entire production process.
The free The Scrolls of Spartacus app - ClickFire’s first iPad app - is a script reader that allows users to read all 13 episodes of the series’ first season. The scripts in the app are enhanced with, show clips, audio and video extras, behind-the-scenes footage, and production stills that can be converted into iPad wallpaper, among other features.
Working on basic concepts brought to them by Starz, ClickFire fleshed out the creative. “We really defined, designed and executed the experience by working closely across all of our divisions,” said Click President Peter Corbett. “While Starz provided us with assets from the show and direction on how to use those assets, we had a lot of creative flexibility to design the interface and the application.”
Click’s broadcast design division, Click Entertainment worked with Starz on the initial proposal before reaching out to ClickFire Media and Sounds Like Click to handle the app’s interactive components and sound design, respectively.
Leveraging their extensive experience in the interactive sphere, ClickFire developed an interface that was very user friendly. “This was a chance for us to see how we could leverage our strengths - great design, our extensive design experience, great ingenuity - as a combined entity to create something unique for a high-profile series with a passionate fanbase,” noted ClickFire Senior Interactive Producer Matt DeSimone. “What we came up with is one of the best-looking apps on the App Store. The thing is fantastic and really speaks to the series - I think Spartacus fans are going to be very happy.”
The app contains several unique features that combine elements of antiquity with modern life. Scaling Capua, for example, is an interactive widget detailing the social networks and back stories of the most fascinating citizens in Capua, the ancient city in which the series is set. “As much as Spartacus may be set in ancient times, it resembles the modern world in many ways, including the intensive social climbing going on with many of the principal characters,” stated ClickFire Creative Director Nick Adgerian. “We created a physical representation of this dynamic with the image of a mountain, containing a flag for each character that displays the social connections between them when you click on their name.”
“In this type of genre, there are a number of fans who like reading the scripts,” continued Adgerian. “It gives them an opportunity to read the text like a book and really put themselves in the minds of the characters. This reader concept is an underground but untapped market, particularly in the realm of mobile apps.”
The Scrolls of Spartacus launch coincides with Starz’s digital media unit’s launch of a free interactive Facebook game. The game, launched to the public on January 20, the day before the debut of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, the prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. ClickFire plans to develop future scrolls for the forthcoming prequel, in addition to other iPad apps. To download the app from the iTunes App Store, please visit the following link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-scrolls-of-spartacus/id410645093?mt=8
Read more: http://www.trustcollective.com/portfolio/content/clickfire_spartacus.php#ixzz1By1rGBzk
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike
Posted by: admin on 01.18.2011
PBS came to Click 3X’s Entertainment team to create a promo for their Ipad Application that was not only fun and engaging, but would showcase the capabilities of the app, as well as the vast library of PBS and PBS Kids programming available within it.
Directed by Ders Hallgren, and shot by owner Peter Corbett, our goal was to create a fluid action sequence that embraced the growing familiarity of the Ipad, as well as the many ages and demographics that it appeals to.
The entire production was carried out on our shooting stage, as we shot hand models representative of all walks of life interacting with the app’s features. The Ipad was shot utilizing a green screen display and the actual content was then composited in Flame to feature the program screens and show footage.
PBS Ipad Application Commercial from Click3x Entertainment on Vimeo.
Posted by: admin on 12.07.2010
Did you here that? It Sounds Like Click. Our new audio team just put together some amazing music for Atmosphere BBDO and their client, Cognizant. The projects called for the composing and mixing of four audio tracks with original music that would complement the Cognizant brand, while adding another dimension to the animated spots.
Directed towards uplifting orchestral classical music with a "moving forward" vibe, our tracks consisted of a classical orchestral samples containing individual notes; from samples performed in a large concert hall to achieve the realistic acoustics of such a venue, to the creation of genuine sound. Each piece went through multiple revisions to correctly parallel the pace of the story as it moves forward with an uplifting beat.
One spot, entitled 'The New Worker,' featured a musical joke that was meant to create a "fall apart" moment for dramatic pause. For the remaining tracks, we were given the opportunity to highlight our ability to create original music and match the expectations of a new brand through an exploration of classical music.
Our Senior Sound Designer / Mixer Brian Scibinico summed up the project nicely.
"I think we really nailed the feeling of being uplifting and modern, even though the instrumentation of the music is classical as opposed to say electronica, which might be a more expected direction for spots about the "modern worker. Going in unexpected directions is why I love jobs like this."
Posted by: ClickFire Admin on 11.12.2010
Megamind has taken over the box office and we're happy to say we helped. A story about a supervillian who must reverse roles and save the world from a superhero bent on destroying it, this brilliant 3D animated movie has emerged as a huge hit for DreamWorks and Paramount. Staring an all-star cast of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jona Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt, this film has a little something for everyone, a trademark of Dreamworks productions.
MTV- Megamind Remix "Who are You" by Click3x Entertainment from Click3x Entertainment on Vimeo.
DreamWorks, responsible for recent animated hits like Shrek, Monsters vs. Aliens, and How to Train a Dragon, always ensures that their films reach a broader demographic to be enjoyed by child and adult audiences. In order to spread the word far and wide MTV and Dreamworks decided to take a new approach to their TV spots, approaching us to create two :30 spots that can be summarized in one simple word, "Auto-Tune"
Auto-Tune, for the uninitiated, is a downloadable studio plug-in that can take a vocal and instantly nudge it onto the proper note or move it to the correct pitch. It's the closest thing to Photoshop for the human voice. This tool was to be the key to creating a catchy mega-hook that would stick with viewers. Knowing this, our team; lead by MTV Creative Director Matt Jablin, Click 3x Senior Editor Jeremy Baumann, and Click 3x Sound Designer / Composer Brian Scibinico, set about on an exciting process that allowed us to utilize all the weapons in our arsenal, from editorial, to animation, to our brand-new state of the art audio room.
MTV- Megamind Remix Revenge by Click3x Entertainment from Click3x Entertainment on Vimeo.
You can read about the process on our Portfolio page by clicking HERE
As expected, the spots were an instant hit! Our Vimeo and YouTube pages are blowing up and even "Antares Audio Technologies" the creators of the Auto-Tune software loved the spots so much they are talking about a application story for their web site.
If you haven't had enough of the videos after listing to them while reading this entire story, we even developed a fun RINGTONE so you can listen to the catchy tune every time your boss calls you or the kids need to be picked up from soccer practice.
Just make sure to turn off your phone when you catch the movie in theaters this month.
Posted by: ClickFire Admin on 10.26.2010
If you've ever watched MTV's hit show 16 & Pregnant the first question that comes to mind is usually, how did that sweet girl wind up with that JACKASS? Of course, then you pop in a DVD or run to the theatre to watch what Johnny Knoxville, Wee-Man, and the rest of the gang have concocted and you think, how can you not love these JACKASSES? Click3x Entertainment recently had the pleasure of working with the wonderful teams at MTV on both of these properties recently and the experience was one for the books.
For 16 & Pregnant's 3rd season, we worked to create a launch promo that would show the fine line that young pregnant girls are forced to straddle, from the painful lessons to the heart-warming moments. Diving through a full season of episodes, we can vouch for the fact that this year is chock full of youthful indiscretion, uphill battles, and ultimately, miracles.
MTV's 16 and Pregant Promo by Click3x Entertainment from Click3x Entertainment on Vimeo.
Having handled our tear-jerking project for the month, we were happy to take on a new set of questions, such as does getting run over by a wild bull hurt more in 3D and what would it be like to be rocketed through the air in a full porta-potty? To promote the third of the successful Jackass movies (this time in 3D!) we played up their multi-dimensional shenanigans with a series of promos that utilized camera mapping and faux-3D animation to illustrate the demented sense of humor awaiting those who dared to venture to theaters nationwide.
Jackass 3D Promo By Click3x Entertianment from Click3x Entertainment on Vimeo.
And there you have it folks, the wonder that is MTV, which celebrates the various sides of the reality genre like no other network out there. And the genius part about it is that you can actually watch 16 & Pregnant and Jackass 3D and come away with one shared lesson in life.
That if MTV programming is not an ad for birth control, I don't know what is.
Posted by: ClickFire Admin on 10.12.2010
The 2010 Hockey Season has just started, and it is now easier to stay updated on your favorite teams (Go Rangers!) and player stats with the amazing features of NHL's GameCenter Live.
Click3x Entertainment worked with NHL to promote their updated online service by creating an edgy promo that encompassed the NHL brand in an exciting informative package. NHL GameCenter Live is an online service offer streaming video of live games. By becoming a subscriber to NHL GameCenter Live, you will get access to live out-of-market game broadcasts in TV-quality plus continued access to all your favorite features of the new NHL GameCenter, including this year's new Ice Tracker. With NHL GameCenter Live you'll also watch full-length and condensed replays of the games you missed and relive NHL history with unlimited access to over 500 classic games from NHL Vault.
NHL Game Center Live promo by Click3x Entertianment from Click3x Entertainment on Vimeo.
Created in After Effects, the promo leaves its viewer chilled after this first person tour into through GameCenter in an ice shattering experience. New features that we highlighted in this year's promos include the ability to select from home and away broadcasts to follow your favorite team even while they are on the road, view live stats and in-game highlights, as well as use the live chat feature to connect to other fans.
Posted by: ClickFire Admin on 08.25.2010
At the end of this month Nick Jr celebrates Dora the Explorer's 10th anniversary! Everyone is invited to the party so tune in for her "Big Birthday Adventure" a movie event that looks back on Dora's past adventures and friends.
Dora's Singalong! by Click3x from Adam Coleman on Vimeo.
Click3x Entertainment worked with Nick Jr to help promote the monumental event by creating a spot that shows Dora's popularity as well as a birthday themed affiliate end-page and three full frame transitions, trailer title cards, and tune-in tags. The spot featured a list of celebrities all singing along to a Dora Birthday song. We used confetti and birthday candle animations teamed with the Nick Jr brand to simultaneously represent the event while maintaining the Nickelodeon image. The promotion caters to all Dora fans, young and old while representing every aspect of the big day including the online web games associated with the movie.
Posted by: ClickFire Admin on 03.29.2010
Continuing a long history of VFX for feature films, Click 3X Creative Director and Head of VFX Mark Szumski led the team that crafted all of the VFX for the visually stimulating thriller After.Life, directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz Vosloo and starring Christina Ricci. Click Creative Director Steve Tozzi and Head of CG Anthony Filipakis worked closely with Szumski to create a stunning array of FX, from the creation of alternate worlds to bizarre and fantastic character transformations.
“Our whole team came together for this one,” noted Click 3X owner Peter Corbett. “As we establish Click as a full-service digital studio capable of projects of any size, it’s important that we continue to work on major feature films, so we were thrilled when Agnieszka approached us to bring her terrifying and captivating visions to life.”
Click 3X’s VFX play an integral role in the film, composing important components of many grotesque and surreal scenes. Anna (played by Ricci), looks in the mirror in one scene to find herself emaciated and lifeless, a transformation wrought by Szumski. In another sequence, the CG team built, animated and lit massive tree roots that emerge from the ground to capture Anna. The same group created animated maggots that fill her mouth as the roots swallow her.
In one particularly impressive scene in which Anna removes her own heart from her split-open chest, Szumski showcases his ability to work in both the live-action and VFX realms. Szumski directed the live-action shoot and spent hours of compositing in Flame to create blood elements on the starlet’s nude body. The Click 3X team also created an elaborate design for the open chest.
In a show of Click’s impressive range, the studio also created entire landscapes. One twisted point in the film finds Anna flung into Limbo, an alternate reality created entirely by Szumski and the CG team. Limbo is an amazing, otherworldly environment that conveys the sensation of being trapped between life and death, with surroundings that alternately appear to be dead or alive.
“After.Life was a blast to shoot,” stated Szumski. “Everyone stepped up to make this one happen, from Anthony’s CG team to Steve’s creative input to the cooperation of the director on every scene. I’m happy to be contributing to full-length feature work and hope to take more on in the very near future.”
Posted by: ClickFire Admin on 03.08.2010
Editor Jeremy Baumann has joined creative digital shop Click 3X as a fulltime editor. Baumann worked for five years at the NYC office of Red Car. As an assistant editor on commercial campaigns, music videos, web content as well as long and short-form projects, he was an integral part of the Red Car culture. Baumann’s enthusiasm and zest for cutting earned him multiple opportunities to cut his own spots for clients. Saatchi & Saatchi producer, Zamile Vilakazi said, “In the past couple of years I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Jeremy many times. While he is obviously quite collaborative, Jeremy also has great instincts and is a tireless editor who always comes up with intelligent solutions for our projects. We all love working with Jeremy, it’s more than a pleasure, it’s a hell of a good time.”
Baumann is seasoned on both Avid and Final Cut Pro. He has worked on campaigns for brands such as Puma, Pillsbury, Tide, Urban Outfitters and Visa for agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, MRM Worldwide and CommonHealth to name a few.
Baumann moved to NYC from Dallas, Texas in 2006. He holds an associate of applied science in video production from the Art Institute of Dallas. A 3-time triathlete, his upcoming schedule includes meets in May, July, September and October. Jeremy brings the same energy to track & field and the New Years Day Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge that he delivers to clients in the edit room every day. Says Head of Sales Trevor King, “Jeremy personifies what I call `owning the room’. Clients just adore him and I plan on introducing him to many new ones this year. We’re thrilled he came to Click 3X”.