Art Directors' Club :: Stardust and Focus: Philadelphia
by Bill Haley, 3 Mar 2006
ADCP is the second-oldest Art Directors' Club in America . But ADCP
is not just for Art Directors. It's for everyone
in the Philadelphia creative community who wants
to take their works to new heights. Find out more at www.adcp.org.
The Art Directors Club of Philadelphia presented a double bill in
Northern Liberties on March 2. The program began
with an exclusive preview of Focus: Philadelphia, the
annual showcase of work by some of Philadelphias
top photographers. The exhibition is produced by
ASMP (the American Society of Media Photographers) and featured the
neighborhoods, people and spirit that make Philadelphia unique. Learn
more about ASMP at www.asmpphilly.com.
The
evenings headline event was Stardust, the New York and Los Angeles based
design powerhouse. Stardust is notable for creating
distinctive, visually intriguing TV spots that seamlessly combine live
motion photography with CG animation. Clients include a whos who list
of blue chip advertisers: Nike, Nokia, Bud Light, BMW, Pepsi, ESPN,
Microsoft, Nissan, Hewlett Packard, Target and Microsoft.
Presenting
for Stardust were senior producer Michael Neithardt
and director Alan Bibby. Both were just off a Walmart
shoot in Vancouver. (The spot was in post production that evening.)
The presentation began with Stardusts
demo reel presented on the big screen, which received
an enthusiastic response from the crowd.
Following
that, Neithardt and Bibby deconstructed six high-profile
spots. They spoke at length about their creative
process, the client relationship and technical
production strategies. In Nissans Glide spot, a Murano morphs into an animated manta ray and joins a school of fish before surfacing and morphing back into an SUV, racing along the beach. Bibby presented the storyboards for the shoot, and then went into detail about the live action photography, CG animation, rotoscoping and compositing that brought the spot to life.
In the Breakups spot for Microsofts Windows XP,
a teenager ruminates on the positive aspects of
her boyfriend breaking up with her. Using Windows XP, she writes and records a song about it in her home studio and becomes a famous rock star.
The actress is immersed in an animated world replete with her guitar and laptop,
a recording studio and adoring fans. Neithardt explained that given Stardusts
well-earned reputation for creativity, they often are given near-total creative
license by their clients. The Microsoft campaign evolved into eight wildly imaginative
spots, including a grandfather in outer space, an underground comic book artist
and a dad who creates monster movies starring his two-year old son.
Neithardt
and Bibby engaged in a lively Q&A with the audience during and after
their presentation. Following that, they went up the street to the Standard
Tap, where the conversation and fun continued. For more information about Stardust,
visit www.stardust.tv.
To learn about the Art Directors Club of Philadelphia,
visit www.adcp.org.
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