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.

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

Justin McClure, a very talented motion designer out of Kansas worked on the arena opener for the Bank of Oklahoma Center. Awesome work! Evolution Audio did a great job with the sound.

An animation created for a 10′ x 14′ set of LCD panels at the brand new BOK Center stadium built in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This spot was created to showcase all of the different types of events that would take place at the stadium to give new visitors a taste of what was to come.

2009 Yankees Baseball Open on YES from 3plus2 Creative on Vimeo.

Garus Booth – Advance Scout from Garus Booth on Vimeo.

Garus Booth – Jays Reloaded Open from Garus Booth on Vimeo.

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

ANC Design is a motion graphic design agency specializing in In-Stadium LED and Scoreboard graphics. Based in Purchase, New York, ANC Design is a division of ANC Sports, a leading supplier of rotational and LED signage solutions for stadiums throughout the country. ANC Design’s client list includes teams from all walks of professional and collegiate sports including the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers, Washington Capitals and Wizards, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Penn State University Football and Basketball. ANC’s design team creates both sponsor advertisements and team branded prompts, promotions, player introductions and headshots. Above is their demo reel – they will be creating motion graphics for the new Dallas Cowboys’ stadium that features the county’s largest indoor screen and will be posting story boards and more samples in the coming weeks.

Some great in-game stuff coming from Keyframe. They also have a blog. Thanks for the contribution Ryan.

Keyframe designs innovative, entertaining digital content in HD video, 3D animation and motion graphics, specializing in media networks and large scale LED displays, to evoke an emotional connection with viewers.

Home to artists of the digital world, Keyframe is a premier agency contracted to develop creative content in SD and HD video, 2D and 3D animation, and motion graphics. We throw these awe-inspiring creations on LCD and large scale LED video displays, as well as any other electronic broadcasting medium.

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

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.

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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