Mill+ has produced A Journey to Hope, an original animated piece created for Fireflies West, a charity cycling group which raises funds for blood cancer research. The release of this new promo film comes ahead of the Fireflies West’s annual ride down the California coastline in support of cancer research facility City of Hope.
The film illustrates the six-day ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles using a combination of 3D and cel animation. The concept, developed by The Mill’s executive creative director Phil Crowe, VFX supervisor Tara DeMarco and Mill+ designers/directors Amy Graham and Kyle Moore, uses the riders’ physical journey as an analogy to reflect the struggle of those affected by cancer.
Crowe said, “A Journey to Hope provided an opportunity to support the Fireflies West whilst showcasing our talent in Mill+ and design. I set an open brief for the artists here in Los Angeles and had lots of brilliant ideas come in, from live action to 2D and 3D animation routes. What you see is the winning idea by Kyle and Amy, brought to life over several months of hard work with input from City of Hope and the Fireflies West riders themselves.”
EP Luke Colson said, “Words can’t express how proud we are with the final outcome of this film. The Fireflies West have been close to our hearts for a long time with many of our staff riding each year for an incredibly good, and often personal, cause. With this film, we hope to generate more interest and further public knowledge of what has become an institution in the industry.”
Now in its ninth year running, the Fireflies West have raised over $1.2 million for City of Hope.
Client Fireflies West Production Mill+ Luke Colson, executive producer; Alex Bader, producer. Visual Effects/Animation The Mill Luke Colson, exec producer; Alex Bader, producer; Phil Crowe, executive creative director/concept; Robert Sethi, executive creative director; Kyle Moore, director, concept/creative direction & art direction, lead animator, lead designer; Amy Graham, director, concept/creative direction & art direction, lead designer; Tara Demarco, concept; Lisa Tan, lead designer; Viraj Ajmeri, design, animation; Victor Duncan, Helen Hsu, design; Justin Sucara, Justin Demetrician, Clare Carrellas, animation. Color The Mill Gregory Reese, colorist; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer, color; Diane Valera, color producer; Jackson Rogers, production coordinator, color. Special Thanks for following contributors: Vanessa Cuccia, Jessica Penner, Kate Lynn Abigail, Christine Luu, Chloe Skinner, Heath Raymond, Nicholas Scarcella, Imaginary Family, Unday Records, Heard City
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