Culver City/Vancouver-based visual effects house Zoic Studios delivers an all-too-friendly dolphin in the comical new :60/:30 “Aquarium” for Dynamics ePlate out of Grey, NY. Zoic crafted a photo-real talking dolphin that turns from a friendly, silent creature into a creepy—and hilarious—aquatic buddy.
Zoic’s team, led by VFX Supervisor Ryan McDougal, struck a delicate balance between a realistic-looking dolphin and something a little off. Says McDougal, “The agency and directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon had a very clear vision from the start, very hands on. Our mantra throughout was, ‘It’s not a puppy. It’s a stalker.’ Real dolphins are like lovable puppies moving in a fluid, playful fashion. We made this dolphin close to the real thing, but off just enough that it’s unsettling. It adds to the humor.”
“Aquarium” opens on Sam, an everyman watching racecars on TV. A voiceover begins, “Sam has always loved fast cars and he wants to use his current rewards card to earn a day on the racetrack.” We see Sam enter an aquarium where he regards a dolphin. The voiceover continues, “To get enough points, he’d have to visit the aquarium everyday for six years. Long enough for the dolphins to learn his name.” The dolphin swims up to Sam to deliver a guttural, “Hi, Sam,” leaving the man utterly bewildered. The dolphin then calls Sam at work, while he’s in bed and in the shower, annoying him. The voiceover continues, “Or, he could hit the racetrack faster with the Dynamics ePlate Visa card. Earn a day at Skip Barber Racing School after spending $1,250 with ePlate instead of spending $70,000 with a 1% rewards card.” We see Sam racing with a beautiful woman in shotgun and in a bar celebrating with friends. The voiceover concludes, “Earn a day burning rubber or trade your human friends for dolphins. Your choice.” The spot closes on the Dynamics ePlate Visa card and tag, “Everything else is just plastic.”
Zoic used Maya, ZBrush and RealFlow to create the dolphin. Continues McDougal, “We paid close attention to how light penetrated the dolphin’s skin, wanting to give it an iridescent quality with just enough shine. Then we made the empty space the dolphin occupies look like actual water, which was also a fun creative challenge.”
“Aquarium” is the first of two projects Zoic has lined up with Furlined’s comedy experts Will Speck and Josh Gordon. Says Zoic Executive Creative Director Chris Jones, “It’s always fun to work with funny people, but it’s even better to work with funny people who are exceptional at what they do. Josh and Will are exactly that. Dynamics ePlate is the start of a great relationship and our team is excited to be working with them through the summer.”
The spot is the most recent output from Zoic’s new commercial division with upcoming work from award-winning agencies and top brands like AT&T and Toshiba.
The Dynamics ePlate campaign also includes the :60/:30, “Family Time.”
About Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California and Vancouver, B.C., which creates computer-generated special effects for film, television, commercials and video games.
“Visual Evolution” is their mission: to evolve the story, art, and technology of the moving image, and through this evolution, broaden the audience for everything they work on.
Zoic’s accomplished artists and producers understand story, process, technique and relationships. Their team has a proven track record of success in a range of media including episodic, film, commercials and gaming. Masters in the fields of 3D, Compositing, and Production Management, their elite reputation attracts additional talent and encourages a strong work ethic. Zoic’s relationships with its clients are deep and long lasting. The company is known for results-driven excellence in all endeavors.
Credits:
Client: Dynamics ePlate
Title: “Aquarium,” :60/:30
Agency: Grey, NY
Creative Directors: Andrew Currie, Luis Romero
Producer: Floyd Russ
Art Director: Alexander Kaplan
Copywriter: Barry Katz
Account Manager: Peter Zenobi
Production Company: Furlined, Santa Monica
Directors: Will Speck, Josh Gordon
VP/Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Executive Producer: Dave Thorne
Producer: Pete Vitale
DoP: Bryan Newman
Visual Effects Company: Zoic Studios, Culver City/Vancouver
Executive Creative Director: Chris Jones, Robert Moggach
Head of Broadcast Production: Ian Unterreiner
Executive Producer: Cally Morton
Sr. Producer: Jennie Burnett
VFX Supervisor: Ryan McDougal
Post Production Coordinator: Anna Dudas
3D Supervisor: Jeff Baksinski
Lead Animator: Chris Barsamian
Compositing Lead: Feli DiGiorgio
3D Generalists: Andy Wilkoff, Adam Newman
Flame Artists: Robert Moggach, Renee Tymn, An Dang
Tracking Lead: Ryan Lorie
Compositors: Fumi Mashimo, Jared Jones, Kyle Spiker
Rigging: Scott Rosekrans
Dynamics: Mike Miller
Editorial Company: Mackcut, NY
Director of Operations: Biz Lynskey
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Editor: Ian Mackenzie
Assistant Editor: Nick Divers