GraphicsMafia is proud to share our first behind the scenes article. Lift Motion Design of Chicago recently completed a rebrand of Barrett Jackson on the speed network. The team at Lift was kind enough to answer a few questions about the process. You can view the spot on Lift’s website. Hit the jump for the interview.

The Interview

Over the years Lift has done some incredible sports graphics. Is there any fundamental difference between a sports job and say a network television commercial?

In our experience, sports packages usually are accompanied by a slightly different intensity level and expanded creative boundaries.  We were lucky enough to earn the trust of the client to explore our boundries.

You’ve worked for the Speed Network before, how was this time different from the last?

I think once we had established a solid workflow and communication with our client, the second round is always much easier.  We knew what was expected of us, and in return, I think they definitely had the confidence in us to pull off exactly what we pitched them.  This time I think we definitely tried to surpass the level of complexity from the round before.

Tell us a little bit about how you defined the style for this piece.

We tried to capture the intensity and underlying competition of the auction itself, but also wanted to show the diversity of the cars themselves with a modern twist.  The cars are really the heroes of the show, and what better way to show off a vintage Benz than having it transform into a Mustang.

In what way was the client involved in development process?

Once we we got started, there were some major check off points just like any other project. We were heavily involved in the soundtrack and sound design direction with Secret Frequency here in Chicago. The custom audio was actually a huge part of the client review.

How did you shoot the live action elements (if any)?

We extracted HD footage of people from the show and treated them with effects. Everything else is 3D.

How did you decide on what applications you used to create the spots? And in what way were they best suited for the job?

Our production pipeline is pretty short and sweet.  We use a combination of Maya and After Effects for most jobs.  Maya can handle a variety of file types for the car models, and give us the tools to animate, light, and render all within one package.  The balance between the 3D and 2D world is handled extremely well by AE as far as compositing and adding the additional graphic FX used throughout the elements.

How many people worked on the spots and how did you integrate everyone’s work?

We had 7 artists working on the entire show package. Everyone has a different assignment that ties into the final composite. Integration between files is key in a small studio like ours. A job of this caliber must be juggled along with other projects, so it’s interesting how it all balances out.

Did you experiment with a technique or plugin you hadn’t used on a previous project?

Conceptually, transforming vintage cars was something that created a unique challenge, but once we established a method for the transformations, the work was significantly easier than we initially thought. The time consuming and often tedious animation went relatively smooth once the groundwork was in place.

Everyone is a perfectionist, if you had another week to work on the project would you change anything?

I once heard the expression, “Projects are never finished, they are just taken from you”, which always seems to be the case.  Ideally, we would like to keep adding more and more levels of detail within the car transformations, but keying each individual spark plug did not seem to fit into our timeline. We had some very late nights getting some of our renders composited. The challenge was worth it.

Does anyone at Lift drive a classic muscle car?

No, but we all have a wish list now.

Any plans to work on more sports related motion graphics?

Most definitely.  Sports packages have such a unique feel to them.  They are usually a blend of testosterone, finesse, and art.

What advice would you give a beginning or struggling motion graphic artist whose trying to create better work?

Push and challenge yourself to create. At first, the technical challenge of transforming cars in such a short turn-around seemed quite daunting, but we knew we would make it work and find a way to pull it off as a team.  We look forward to raising the bar for ourselves on the next round.  Never settle on mediocrity.

Lift Motion Design
Concept, design, 3D animation, 2D animation, compositing and edit:
Jason White, Sam Gierasimczuk, Curt Cooper, Kyle Shoup, Charlie Peterson,
Aaron Edwards, Eric Miro

Production and coordination:
Mary O’Gara, Lucie Boryczko, Carmen Navarrete

Secret Frequency
Original score and sound design:
Jeff Van Steen, Harry Burgan

Filmworkers
Online edit and finishing:
Jeff Charatz, Justin Winkler