Radium/Reel FX [www.radiumreelfx.com] announces its release of the music video for Transfer’s song, “Take Your Medicine” – a first single off their debut album, Future Selves – which is slated for a September 19th release on Cool Green Recordings/Mascot Label Group.  The video is directed by Radium/Reel FX Art Director Nader Husseini and produced/edited by Radium/Reel FX Editor Amy Grieshaber. “Take Your Medicine” has screened at the Dallas International Film Festival, Chicago International Movies & Music Festival, the British Independent Film Festival, World Music & Independent Film Festival and Houston International WorldFest where it won a Platinum Remi Award for Best Rock Music Video. The video offers a unique visual representation of the song’s lyrics, which question society’s growing dependency on prescription medications.

First, Husseini and Concept Artist Yashar Kassai developed two characters – the Girl and the Beast – which star in the piece.  In the video, the Girl is a victim of hyper-medication, rendering herself lifeless and helpless at the hands of the Beast.

“Throughout the process, Nader constantly referred to the original designs of these characters in order to remain as true as possible to his initial vision and the specific aesthetic he wanted to achieve,” says Grieshaber.  As with much of Husseini’s other work, the aesthetics retain a hand-drawn look and feel even though they are brought to life in CG.

Using After Effects as the main compositing software, the artists combined the 2D drawings and paintings and 3D animation and digital effects into a single space in order to create the highly textured look they were after.  In addition to lighting and compositing the CG characters and props in Maya, the team used specific components of the software, like Maya Toon, Maya Hair and Maya nCloth, manipulating and merging techniques not typically used in the studio’s CG pipeline.  Technical director Kyle Wood recalls, “The project evolved very organically as the vision progressed and we came up with new ideas to seamlessly blend the numerous 3D elements incorporated.”

The look required many layers and assets to give depth.  Pre-compositing 3D components in Nuke ensured the team avoided heavy data files and maintained an efficient workflow. This enabled the files to be ingested into After Effects where they were finally color-corrected and incorporated into the 2D environments.  Using Maya Paint FX in conjunction with cloth simulations and digital effects added to the video’s unique style as well.

“I’m proud of all the work and talent all of the Radium/Reel FX artists put into the project to make it a unique experiment in an alternative CG animation style,” says Husseini.

Transfer approached Husseini to direct the music video for their soon-to-be-released single after seeing his work on the Happy Bullets’ music video “The Vice & Virtue Ministry.”  The video was well-received and screened at South By Southwest and the LA Film Festival in 2008.  For “Take Your Medicine,” Husseini collaborated with the band members of Transfer for the live shoot; they were featured as both the Doctors, shown at the start diagnosing the girl, and conversely as captives trapped inside of the Beast.

The team arrived at the final look using Adobe’s Photoshop and After Effects, The Foundry’s Nuke, Maxon’s Cinema 4D, Autodesk’s Maya, Avid’s Pro Tools and Symphony Nitris. RED Cam recorded the live action footage.

About Radium/Reel FX

Founded in 1993, Radium/Reel FX (Dallas/Santa Monica) is an award-winning creative studio that produces animation and visual effects-driven content from “script to screen” for blue chip Entertainment and Commercial clients.  The studio is known worldwide for its ability to craft innovative solutions, as well as the breadth of its capabilities which also include motion design, editorial and audio work. In addition, Radium/Reel FX develops original, multi-platform content for feature films and film franchises, and supports its creative endeavors with cutting-edge, proprietary technology. Radium/Reel FX is home to a roster of top creative talent, with a diverse and experienced team of almost 300 production executives, artists and staff who work between its Dallas and Santa Monica studios.

Credits
Director: Nader Husseini
Producer: Amy Grieshaber
Editor: Amy Grieshaber
Executive Creative Director: Dale Carman
Sound Designers: Frank Pittenger
TJ Callaway
Matt Pittman
Production Coordinator: Taylor Lee Williams
Production Assistant: Meghan A. Cole
Concept Artists: Nader Husseini
Yashar Tahtolkassai
Designers: Nader Husseini
Byron Slaybaugh
Christopher Vela
Erin McGuire
Dustin D’Arnault
Motion Designers: Byron Slaybaugh
Christopher Vela
Technical Director: Steven Kyle Wood
Render Supervisor: Kevin MacPhail
Modelers: Brandon Stoker
Nathan Smithson
Seth Olson
Rigging Supervisor: Steven Kyle Wood
Rigging Artists: Josh Carey
Steve Eger
Matthew R. Tucker
Texturing Supervisor: Brandon Stoker
Texture Artists: Lauren Davis
Seth Olson
Julie Terrell
Layout Artists: Joseph P. Johnston
Mark Thielen
Animation Supervisor: Ernesto Bottger
Animators: Jeff Weidner
Randy Hayes
Trevor Young
Eric Drobile
Ray Chase
Drew Winey
Jimm Pegan
Matt Kummer
Monica Aston
Cloth Artist: Steven Kyle Wood
Particle Effects: Joseph P. Johnston
Lighting Supervisor: Brandon Stoker
Lighters: Chris Browne
Connon Carey
Julie Terrell
Compositors: Dag Ivarsoy
Jared Brower
Live Action Producer: Laura Wallgren
Assistant Director: James Boisvenue
Director of Photography: Julio Quintana