Top Five of the Year: VFX and Animation
  • Friday, Dec. 13, 2019
2019 Top Five: VFX/Animation

A Bud Light Super Bowl ad that delivers an unexpected twist as it morphs into a promo for the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones takes the #1 slot in SHOOT's best of the year Top Five VFX/Animation Chart. VFX studios were The Mill and Pixomondo.

Also in the Top Five mix are a moving tribute to Freddie Mercury and the fight against AIDS in the animated music video "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow"; Born Free Foundation's "The Bitter Bond"; Lacoste's visual tour de force "Crocodile Inside"; and the moving animated book promo short I Am With You in which sexual assault victim Chanel Miller reveals who she is and tells her story.

Have a look below at the fab five in visual effects/animation that made their mark in 2019. 

     To see SHOOT's story on the year's best work, click here.

     To view the year's Top Five Top Spots Chart, click here.

     To view the year's Top Five Best of The Best Work You May Never See Chart, click here.

     To see the year's Top Five Music Chart, click here.

1

Client Anheuser-Busch/Bud Light, HBO Agency for HBO Droga5 NY David Droga, creative chairman; Neil Heymann, chief creative officer; Andrew Ferguson, group creative director; Dustin Tomes, Jono Paull, creative directors; Adrian Chan, Lauren Ferreira, associate creative directors; Tobias Lindborg, art director; Felix Karlsson, copywriter; Sally-Ann Dale, chief creation officer; Jesse Brihn, director of film production; Liliana Vega, sr. producer; Jonny Bauer, chief strategy officer. Agency for Bud Light W+K Colleen DeCourcy, co-president/CCO; Karl Lieberman, executive creative director; Brandon Henderson, John Parker, creative directors; Kevin Kaminishi, art director; Jessica Ghersi, copywriter; Nick Setounski, head of content production; Temma Shoaf, executive producer; Alexey Novikov, producer. Production O Positive David Nutter, Spencer Riviera, directors; Jonathan Freeman, DP; Ralph Laucella, Ken Licata, executive producers. Editorial  Arcade Paul Martinez, Katie Weiland, editors; Thomas Bergerstock, assistant editor; Sila Soyer, exec producer; Fanny Cruz, producer. VFX The Mill New York Tony Robins, shoot supervisor; John McIntosh, 2D lead artist; Yoon-Sun Bae, Heather Kennedy Eck, Vi Nguyen, Matthew DeFranco, Ant Walsham, Neeraj Rajput, Samarendra Lenka, Inturi Chandra Sekharm, Bharath Ediga, Prasanna Bhat, Madhana Gopala, Venkatesh Srinvivasan, Badarinath Chinimilli, Ramanjaneyulu Thota, Nehal Desai, 2D artists. Tom Bardwell, 3D lead; Lauren Shields, Tim Kim,Hassan Taimur, James Mulholland, Todd Akita, Paul Liaw, Sandor Toledo, Ayush Bajoria, Leela Shanker, Spandana Battula, Raj Kumar, Tighe Rzankowski, 3D artists. Sue Jang, matte painting; Muralikrishna Reddy, tracking lead; Rijo R, tracking artist; Andrew Sommerville, exec producer; Clairellen Wallin, sr. producer; Michael Brown, Payal Thakkar, producers; Christina Chung, Umesh Chand, production coordinators. (Toolbox: Nuke, Flame, Maya and Houdini)  VFX Pixomondo, Los Angeles Derek Spears, VFX supervisor; Chelsea Miller, VFX producer; Andrew Zeko, VFX coordinator; Daniel Knight, Fei Chen, Shawn Sahara, VFX artists; William Appleby, VFX editor; Tefft Smith II, Logan Shye, Michael Maker, animation. (Toolbox: Nuke, Maya Arnold) Sound Design Jafbox Sound Joseph Fraioli, sound designer. Sound Design Eargasm Inc. Paula Greenfield, sound designer. Music Walker Music Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, music coordinator. Music David Klotz, music editor. Audio Post Sound Lounge Tom Juacarone, mixer; Rob Difondi, co-sound engineer; Lauren Mullen, producer. Telecine Company 3 Tim Masick, colorist; Kevin Breheny, producer.

2

Client Universal Music Group (UMG) and the Mercury Phoenix Trust Drew Gleason, creative (UMG). Production/VFX/Animation Friends Electric, London & Los Angeles; Woodblock, Berlin; Studio Seufz (animation), Stuttgart, Germany  Beth David, Esteban Bravo, directors. Belinda Blacklock, EP/producer; Ilija Brunck, Jona Brunck, Stefan Michel, EPs; Benedikt Hummel, prodn mgr; Janina Putzker, animation pipeline; Sandra Brandstätter, character designer; Kim-Quy Nguyen, storyboard & animatic/animation & clean-up artist; Beth David, Esteban Bravo, storyboard & animatic; Kiana Naghshineh, colorscript artist; Benedikt Hummel, FX animator & editorial; Janina Putzker, animation supervision, layouts, FX animator; animation & clean-up artist; Sonia Melnyk, animation & clean-up artist, color artist; Heidi Yilun Chen, Laura Staab, Elena Walf, Sabine Koops, Nora Marie Back, Isabelle Piolat, Kim Liersch, animation & clean-up artists; Simone Pivetta, 3D artist; Samuel Rassy, Carlotta Biesenbach, Nora Marie Back, Elena Walf, color artists; Kiana Naghshineh, background artist; Sarah Eim, compositing lead; Tobias Stärk, Thorsten Löffler, Paul Schicketanz, Csaba Letay, compositing artists. (Toolbox: ToonBoom Storyboard Pro, TV Paint, After Effects, Nuke, Premiere)

3

Client Born Free Foundation Agency Engine UK Paul Jordan, executive creative director; Steve Hawthorne, Katy Hopkins, creative directors; James Hodson, Jason Keet, creatives; Stefanie Forbes, producer. Production Blinkink, London Zombie Studio, Sao Paulo, Brazil  Animation/VFX Zombie Studio, Sao Paulo, Brazil  Daniel Sallees, Paulo Garcia, directors; Bart Yates, Natalia Gouvea, exec producers; Lucas Barreto, cinematography; Antonela Castro, Marcio Lovato, producers & set production; Leticia Harumi, producer; Yohann da Geb, CGI lead & lead compositor; Wallan Oliveira, technical supervisor, CG; Anna Caiado, Estevão Teuber, Feppa Rodrigues, Marcelo Fahd, Marcelo Garcia, concept artists; Saulo Brito, storyboard & animatic; Mauricio Sampaio, lead modeler; Danilo Gerard, Tiago Oliveira, modelers; Bruno Monteiro, animation director; Bruna Berford, Bruno Santos, Christian Weckl, Conrado Testa, Francisco Catão, Hannry Pschera, Jonathan Edward, Leonardo Felix, Leonidas Maciel, Marcos Elias, Michel Denis Da Silva, Rodrigo Dutra, animators; Heber Conde, Wallan Oliveira, VFX artists; Adriana Cardozo, Guilherme Sarinho, Wallan Oliveira, compositors.
(Toolbox: Photoshop, SoftImage XSI, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Maya, Houdini, Arnold Render, ThinkBox Deadline, Nuke, After Efects, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere) Color Grading Psycho n’ Look Marcio Pasqualino, colorist. Sound Design Jungle Ben Leeves, sound designer. Musical Intro Alex Wilson-Thame. Music Song: “Born Free” performed by Matt Monro licensed by Soho Music

4

Client Lacoste Agency BETC Paris Bertille Toledano, Gaëlle Gicqueau , Fanny Buisseret, management; Rémi Babinet, executive creative director; Aurélie Scalabre, creative director/art director; Olivier Aumard, creative director/copywriter; Damien Bellon, creative director; Jessica Fecteau, assistant art director; Christophe Caurret, music creative director; Philippe Martin-Davies, strategic planner; Fabrice Brovelli, Karim Naceur, Slim Trabelsi, internal production. Production Iconoclast Megaforce, directors; Charlotte Marmion, producer. Sound Production Iconoclast Publishing Music “L’Hymne à l’amour,” Edith Piaf. Visual Effects/Animation Time Based Arts, London Francois Roisin, creative director; Josh Robinson, VFX producer; Federico Vanone, VFX supervisor; Lewis Crossfield, colorist; Thiago Dantas, lead Flame; Shel Gardner, Leo Weston, Adam Paterson, Jamie Crofts, Stephen Grasso, David Birkill, Matt Jackson, Flame artists; Bernardo Varela, Grant White, Leandro Vazquez, Manolo Perez, Matt Shires, Will Robinson, Paul Sullivan, Nuke artists; Mike Battcock, Federico Vanone, lead 3D; Sam Osbourne, Ben Cantor, David Loh, Fabrice Le Nezet, Federico Vanone, Gareth Bell, James Mann, James Spillman, Matt Evans, Stephen Murphy, Tom Di Stasio, Walter How, Zoe Sottiaux, Jiyoung Lee, 3D. (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke Maya, Houdini, Resolve) Actors Oulaya Amamra, Kevin Azais.

5

Client Chanel Miller's book, "Know My Name" Live-Action Production Company Emerald Pictures Mara Milicevic, John Duffin, executive producers; Anna Franquesa-Solano, DP. Visual Effects/Animation Norma V. Toraya, aka Crankbunny, animation; Chanel Miller, writer, director, illustrator; Emily Moore, director, producer (Toolbox: Photoshop, After Effects) Arcade Edit, New York Tristian Wake, Flame artist (Toolbox: Flame) Editorial Arcade Edit, NY Ali Mao, editor; Sila Soyer, partner/EP. Music Walker Sara Matarazzo, music supervisor;  Clarice Jensen, composer. Sound Heard City Elizabeth McClanahan, mixer/sound designer; Gloria Pitagorsky, managing partner; Jackie James, Sasha Awn, exec producers; Andi Lewis, audio post producer; Tom Morris, assistant engineer. Color Company 3 Jenny Montgomery, colorist

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