The Briefing Room

ZOIC STUDIOS HELPS MAKE AMERICAN IDOL PROMO LARGER THAN LIFE

Los Angeles, CA – (January 30, 2008) — Fox recently tapped Zoic Studios and the company’s creative acumen to produce a high-energy promo for the pop culture phenomenon American Idol that seamlessly combines live action, stock footage and visual effects. With VFX Supervision by Zoic Studios Creative Director Andrew Orloff, “Big People” is a pure expression of American Idol, with larger-than-life competitors performing in the heart of various American locations, giving it their all from dawn to dusk.

To execute the promo, Zoic shot performers on its green screen stage and united these shots with heavily manipulated stock footage so that the people would appear to tower above wheat fields, and sing in and amongst skyscrapers. This process involved meticulous tracking and lighting matches, animated transitions and the use of the magic bullet to provide a film-like finish to a wide collection of stock types. The result is a promo that speaks to the show’s true fans for whom the day begins and ends with the drama and entertainment of American Idol.

“This was an exciting project for Zoic Studios because we were involved with every aspect of the production and really partnered with the Special Ops team at Fox to create something to get audiences geared up,” says Andrew Orloff.

Client: Fox Broadcasting Corporation/American Idol

Air Date: January 2008

Title: American Idol “Big People”

Length: 1 x :30

Advertising Agency: Fox Broadcasting Corporation/Special Ops, Los Angeles, CA

SVP, Design: Michael Vamosy

SVP On-Air Promotion: Brian Dollenmayer

SVP On-Air Operations: Steve Weinheimer

Creative Director On-Air Promo: Sam Williams

VP Branding: Dean Norris

Director of Content: Golareh Safarian

Production Company: Zoic Studios

Director: Murphy Gilson

VFX Supervisor: Andrew Orloff

DP: Barry Walton

Executive Producer: Gina Fiore

Producer: J. Rogers Marquess

Editorial Company: Zoic Studios

Editor: Dmitri Gueer

Executive Producer: Gina Fiore

Producer: Barbara Genicoff

Visual Effects: Zoic Studios

Creative Director: Andrew Orloff

Lead Compositor: Steve Meyer

Compositors: Dayna Mauer, Philip Broste, Diana Hinek, Sarah Grossmann

CG: Lee Carlton