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LUCOZADE
'GARGOYLES'
In
this, the fourth of the highly successful
Lucozade ads, we see yet more improvements
in the animation of the sexy adventuress,
Lara Croft.
The
end result fulfils not only every
digital fantasy for the Animal Logic
animation team but the agility, stamina
and fitness of a high-powered athlete
- with of course, the obligatory pulse-racing
appeal that has personified Lara Croft
to date.
The
latest in the Lara Croft TVC series
continues the story of the cyber heroine,
who at the end of the last spot, faced
a pack of angry dogs (view the webpage
here). At the start of this newest
spot we find Lara facing this same
pack of rabid beasts. Using almost
acrobatically impossible moves, Lara
manages to escape once again with
the help of her energy packed Lucozade
drink, only to face another life-threatening
adventure.
"The
script is a classic fight of good
versus evil", says VFX Producer Melinda
Jones. In moves that look so easy
in the digital realm, the technologically
advanced heroine escapes the dogs
by the skin of her Lucozade with a
series of twists, turns, forward rolls
and backflips, to land on the neck
of a gargoyle that has come to life.
What
sets this particular spot apart from
the previous are the 3D techniques
that have been used to evolve the
breadth of movement of the Lara character:
"The model was never originally designed
to do the complicated moves the Director
wanted her to do in these sequences,"
says Jones.
Derek
Doyle, Ogilvy & Mather, Ireland's
Producer on the job says the Agency's
aim with this version was to advance
the creative and the animation beyond
anything they had done previously,
"A big part of the credit is due to
Animal Logic for their work on the
animation".
The
3D team of animators at Animal Logic
improved on the original Lara model
of four years ago, reworking her so
she would have the flexibility needed
to sustain the director's vision.
"We
wanted to keep the same look and feel
and similar environments as the very
first Lara Croft commercial," says
Jones. "The original model was always
very angular; this time we've smoothed
her out so she's less game-like and
more like an animated character in
her own right."
Working
from a distance was not an issue for
the Ireland based agency, says Doyle.
And although O&M has worked with Animal
Logic on a previous project, it was
a first time experience for him. He
says that, based on his experience,
he will happily work with overseas
facilities again.
"Because
of the time difference, we'd respond
to the work sent through by Animal
Logic and by the end of our working
day the updates had been completed.
So it was like double the work in
one day."
Avid
Lara fans are in for a treat with
the final TVC which includes a classic
moment as Lara backflips onto the
gargoyle which is, according to Jones,
"reminiscent of the Matrix camera
technique capturing a frozen moment."
Copyright
© 2006 Animal Logic
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