A DIGITAL HOME MAKEOVER BY MECHANISM DIGITAL
New York, NY – A hi-tech home is not just for Bill Gates anymore. Todd Broder’s B3 Productions, along with New York marketing agency Campfire, has created a technology-centered home makeover special called My FiOS Home as part of Verizon’s branded entertainment campaign. Mechanism Digital was the chosen studio to design and produce a graphics package and 3D pre-visualizations for the show, which are now airing on the FiOS1 channel in New York and New Jersey.
In My FiOS Home, Mechanism’s crew used 3D animation to pre-visualize participants’ homes with upgrades — from retro electronics to the latest and greatest integrated components — all connected with high speed Verizon fiber optics. Mechanism Digital provided a 2D graphics package including a show-open, lower thirds and pop-up graphics, in addition to photo-real 3D animated scenes for in-show use.
The most unique aspect of this project is that the 3D pre-visualizations of the overhauled rooms needed to exactly match the post-decorated rooms for dramatic video transitions. Working from photographs of the original spaces and illustrations of the designers’ visions, Mechanism’s Art Director, Mark Palkoski, created the scenes using Autodesk Maya. He then gave specific camera and lens settings to the Director of Photography for match-dissolving the rebuilt and re-decorated rooms to the rendered 3D animations. Mechanism’s artists modeled entire rooms complete with furniture, electronics and decorative accents from scratch, using product images from furniture catalogs in addition to sketches provided by B3 Productions as reference.
VFX Supervisor, Lucien Harriot, describes the process: “The workflow for our artists in building furniture is similar to how one would approach construction of furniture in the real world. First, we break all objects down to their most basic components the same way an engineer does in planning a manufacturing process. Once each part is created, such as a chair leg, it is textured to match appropriate materials, like wood. Then, all the separate pieces are assembled to build the chair before it is placed into a scene.�
Mechanism sums up the concept of renovation with the open’s design, based on direction from Broder, Campfire and the current Verizon branding. Created in Adobe Illustrator and After Effects, the design features silhouettes of the host and makeover crew, 2D layered imagery and a sleek, sparkling cable that zips into the home and connects the family. The whizzing cable is charged up with After Effects plug-in Trapcode and Wondertouch’s Particle Illusion to create the fizzing, sparking end.
About Mechanism Digital:
Established by Lucien Harriot in 1996, Mechanism Digital is an award winning digital production studio and a leading provider of visual effects for feature film, commercials and episodic television in New York City. The studio’s team of directors, artists and producers specializes in 3D animation, compositing, conceptual design, animated characters, digital environments and on-set VFX supervision. Mechanism’s creative vision, decades of experience and structured process guarantee the highest quality visual effects, making the most of your budget and deadline. “Simply put: we do all the stuff you can’t shoot.�
Contact:
Deborah Roth – Mechanism Digital – 514 West 24th Street – New York, NY 10011 – (646) 230-0230 – http://mechanismdigital.com
Mechanism Digital
