A Fiery Real-Time Animation Kicked Off Cannes Lions 2014
Leo Burnett Chicago teamed up with Culver City-based VFX house Zoic Studios to immerse 2014 festival-goers into a stylized digital world of fire and ice for the opening and closing galas of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The massive event, led by Leo Burnett Chicago Creative Director/Agency Executive Producer Juan Woodbury, included six stages and dance floors on Carlton Beach, with a series of 20-foot wide screens that featured the immersive digital content. Woodbury, who also DJ’d and produced the events, collaborated with Zoic Studios’ design and technical leads Paulus Bannink, Derek Crosby, Casey Hupke and Matt Thunell to deliver the unprecedented opening and closing gala experiences to Cannes Lions 2014. The experiences emblematically utilized the Cannes Lion’s head joined with a woman’s body to create a mythical Chimera engulfed in elegant flames and whirling ice.
Real-time Icy Chimera for the Cannes Closing Gala
Zoic crafted the stylized Chimera utilizing the real-time rendering power of the Unreal Engine 4. The setup combined the Chimera character with data capture from the Xsens motion-tracking suit worn by a live dancer on stage. The dancer’s movements were expertly calibrated to trigger unique effects, such as clapping her hands to send a burst of embers swirling about the environment, or lifting her hands to emit flames from the Chimera for the fire-themed opening gala. For the closing gala, the design segued into the evening’s ice theme, with the dancer’s movements triggering opulent waves of frost. Click HERE to view a video of the animation experience at the June 21st closing gala.
Woodbury brought together the companies contributing the events’ graphics to craft a cohesive visual package for each event, artfully weaving in the themes. He notes, “The concept of doing fire and ice themes was to immerse people in the two different elements and to take a unique opportunity to make it snow in the south of France!”
The Mill created cinematic and dramatic imagery inspired by the ethos of the 12 common archetypes, transporting these characters into contemporary surreal atmospheres. The visuals begin with a showcase of some beautiful parts of Cannes, integrating the fire theme. The visuals then segue into the archetypes, punctuated with ambient graphic moments that move in between moments of each character.
Leo Burnett’s Interactive group created the graphics for the DJ booth as well as all of the graphics that appeared on the screen at the end of the Carlton Beach pier.
About Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California. Our team has a proven track record of success, crafting innovative visual experiences for film, television, advertising, video game and interactive projects.
“Visual Evolution” is our mission: to advance the story, art, and technology of the moving image. Masters in the fields of design, animation, compositing, and production management, Zoic’s reputation attracts rising talent and encourages a strong work ethic.