The Chicago Bulls DIVAS is an in-game featured video which originally aired at the United Center on February 10th 2010. With the help of the crew at the UCTV who edited the spot, I created all the visual effects for DIVAS in Cinema 4D and After Effects.

Thanks to everyone at the United Center and especially the Chicago Bulls for giving such hilarious performances. I’m glad they don’t play basketball like they sing.

Daily Planet recently completed the 2009 Chicago Blackhawks Hit the Ice in-game video and the folks there were kind enough to answer some questions about the process. Be sure to check out their other great work.

Chicago Blackhawks – 2009 Game Opener from Brad Chmielewski on Vimeo.

Daily Planet ltd. is a Chicago based editing and motion graphics studio. Recent works have included design, visual fx, claymation and cgi for local and national commercial advertising campaigns, broadcast television shows, music videos, web-based viral media campaigns, and brand identity packages.

Hit the jump to read the article

You’ve worked on the Blackhawks Hit The Ice video for the last couple of years, how is it working with the Blackhawks organization? Was this year different from last?
Working with the Blackhawks is a great collaborative process.  The organization allows us a good amount of creative freedom.  This year varied from last in that we always attempt to add something new while keeping the concept consistent over the years.  This creates the challenge of finding creative ways to top ourselves.

Did you start the project with style or storyboards?
We started out the project with five or six different style boards and a rough outline of a story.  From there, the Blackhawks requested animation tests of a couple of the different styles.  Once a style was locked down, we wrote a script and drew storyboards.  It was crucial that the style selected leant itself to telling a story within it.  It had to go beyond a graphic highlight reel.

How long did it take to complete the project from start to finish?
From the concepting stage to final delivery, the project took about two months.

Did Daily Planet handle the production as well?
Daily Planet did handle the production as well.  It included one full day of an on-ice green screen shoot and two half days of shooting in the locker room.  Since we’ve been on set with some of the same players over the years, there was a nice familiarity on set this year.

How many people worked on the project?
For the post-production phase, we had a team of about fifteen rotoscopers / animators as well as an editor and a sound designer.

In terms of the post production, was it all done in After Effects? What was your workflow like?
The bulk of the work was done in After Effects with prep work in photoshop and some effects work in Cinema 4D.  With so many animators and a tight deadline, consistency was key.  We had a style guide that people used, and we carefully checked what the scenes around each one looked like.  All of our animators worked from Daily Planet, so we easily were able to collaborate and check everyone’s progress.

Did you experiment with a technique or plugin that you hadn’t used before?
This year, we used Cinema 4D to have the players break into pieces when checked by a Blackhawks player.  This took some experimentation on our part to get it to look effective.

What kind of challenges did you meet that you didn’t foresee in the planning stages?
Our biggest challenge was having tight deadlines.  We compensated by bringing in extra freelancers when necessary.

If you could change anything, what would you do differently to Hit the Ice?
We are very fortunate to have worked on this project for a few years now and are very pleased with the process and result this year.  We really feel like we’ve streamlined the execution of the project and actually wouldn’t do much different.

What advice would you give a beginning or struggling moition graphic artist who is trying to create better work?
Study and replicate different  techniques and styles as much as you can.  Ask for feedback on your work as much as possible, and learn to address comments on your work.

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

Now if Roman can only think of a way to show off that work in the context of a demo reel.

Take a look at this article by George Johnson of ESPN, and in particular what he has to say about the Chicago Blackhawks pre-game jumbotron show. I should note that I’m good friends with everyone over there, and contribute to the graphics whenever possible, so its nice to read this.

13. Easily the best pregame JumboTron video package we’ve seen
Reverential yet modern, as current as Kane’s curls and as old-school as a Billy Reay fedora. The Golden Jet, Stan Mikita, Tony O, Mr. Goalie, Keith Magnusson, Pierre Pilote, J.R., Eddie the Eagle, Dipsy-Doodle Denis, Al Secord … what else could a slavish shinny devotee possibly ask for?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=johnson_george&id=4114044

This is also a good time to ask, would you readers be more interested in seeing tutorial/resource posts or in seeing whatever cool inspiring sports related graphics I come across?

Cinema 4D: CS Tools – Cluster from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

Download CS Tools for C4D

Check out all Nick’s great videos.

Graphicsmafia friend Chad Ashley has created a new blog where he’ll be posting his experiences with new CG software. A highly accomplished 3D artist, Chad currently heads up the 3D department at Digital Kitchen Chicago.

So far cgpov.com is off to a great start with a free HDR and a review of hdrlight studio.

Jason White and the team at Lift here in Chicago did a fantastic job with their show package for NASCAR Truck Series on the Speed Network. Very high energy animations, with great some great 3d. Thanks for the contribution.

[quicktime]http://www.graphicsmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Lift_SpeedTrucks_webSite.mov[/quicktime]

NASCAR Truck Series continues this season with the premier of Camping World as sponsor and Lift Motion Design creates the graphics show package to launch it. The team designed a virtual race environment to ground jet-flamed CG NASCAR trucks which plow through it “tradin’ paint.” Show elements and 3d logo design echo the powerful spirit of the Truck Series.

Lift teamed up with the duo from Secret Frequency, also from Chicago, for an original score and sound design. They have tackled a quick turnaround and injected the visual elements with massive intensity.

Race 1 premiered February 13th, and airs bi-weekly on Speed Network.

Credits:

Lift Motion Design
Concept, design, 3D animation, 2D animation, compositing and edit:
Jason White, Sam Gierasimczuk, Curt Cooper, Kyle Shoup, Elliot Lim, Charlie Peterson
Production and coordination:
Lucie Boryczko, Carmen Navarette

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

Filmworkers
Online edit and finishing:
Jeff Charatz, Justin Winkler

One of my favorite production companies Superfad, has created two very different spots for Nascar. First up is ‘Pressure’ a chalkboard animated spot that turned out amazing. I was struggling last summer with a similar chalkboard look for some personal work, and seeing what Superfad did here is intimidating. The wheels look like hand drawn animation while the rest is 3d.

[quicktime width="533" height="320"]http://www.graphicsmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Pressure_web_b9a6syu.mov[/quicktime]

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Next up is DogFight. A great Heads up display styled spot. If you’re looking to do something like this, Video-Copilot has a free tutorial on creating your own HUD.

[quicktime width="533" height="320"]http://www.graphicsmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Nascar_DogFight_533_4sx9mg7.mov[/quicktime]

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Here’s what Superfad has to say:

Superfad was commissioned to produce two NASCAR campaigns, one for the Sprint Cup and the other for NASCAR Nationwide. Each campaign is as distinct as the two NASCAR Cups themselves but are united with an excitement that is truly at the heart of all things NASCAR.

http://mgfest.com/

And follow the fest on twitter

Ben Sutter of Bulls/Blackhawks fame recently updated his reel with some great work. Thanks for the contribution, looking good.

Launch Movie

I’m sure everyone has seen the Fox Sports HD tag, in every football game in the last 6months. It’s pretty inventive, and the 60fps (no motion blur) stops you in your tracks. To the untrained eye, the spot stands out among the rest. I think Best Buy used that trick when selling 1080i TVs to help them stand out from the 720p sets. But I digress. What is very interesting about this piece is the process breakdown by Pro Video Coalition. Chris and Trish Meyer of ‘Creating Motion Graphics’ fame, the book that I’m sure taught all of us how to use After Effects (link) have a blog of the same name on Pro Video Coalition. “Creating Motion Graphics Blog“.

The spot was created by Joost (from the netherlands) better known as Renascent and had an interesting workflow with the time differnce.

Creating Motion Graphics by Chris and Trish Meyer

PS. I’m working on an elegant way to display quicktime videos here on the site, bare with the link.

Alright Bears Fans, Rommel Paraiso has uploaded some new videos for the Chicago Bears. Great stuff. Thanks for the contribution.

2008 Chicago Bears Videoboard Open from Rommel Paraiso on Vimeo.

2008 Chicago Bears Network from Rommel Paraiso on Vimeo.

So Keyframe was the company with the cameras at the IDEA conference in Chicago. Pretty cool that they put this together. I recognize some chicago people.

http://www.keyframe.com/

and they have a blog too http://keyframetheblog.tumblr.com/
<object width=”530″ height=”353″><param name=”allowfullscreen” value=”true” /><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always” /><param name=”movie” value=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1508644&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=c9ff23&fullscreen=1″ /><embed src=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1508644&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=c9ff23&fullscreen=1″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” width=”530″ height=”353″></embed></object><br /><a href=”http://vimeo.com/1508644″>IDEA Conference, Chicago, July 2008</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/keyframe”>Keyframe</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.

Roman Farias along with Justin Tuazon and everyone else at the Chicago White sox did a great job on this in-game video for game one of the Cubs/Sox series last season. 

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