Creative production studio BUCK recently completed work on "The Beast" and "Damn Gravity," two network identification spots for FUEL TV, the action sports arm of Fox Cable Networks. The two 15 second IDs are the latest products stemming from a long creative relationship between Buck and Fox Cable Network.
"FUEL TV's creative direction was that the IDs highlight extreme sports and include the network logo," says Ryan Honey, Creative Director at Buck. We saw a fantastic opportunity for our artists to have some fun, and we gave everybody the chance to contribute their wildest ideas. We then whittled those down to the strongest seven possibilities. FUEL TV liked them all, so we then selected the four we liked best. These are the first two."
Bearing the unmistakable Buck imprint of visceral humor and whimsical animation, the two spots are definitely eye-catching. "The Beast" opens with Buzz McFly, an animated bug, peddling his BMX bike through the air. Out of the landscape below, a bloodshot eyeball suddenly appears before transforming into a mouth and sucking poor Buzz into an intricate digestive tract. Undaunted, Buzz continues to pedal through the hairpin curves of the creature's large intestine, even as other feisty bugs are being digested under his wheels. His tenacity seems to pay off when he is explosively ejected from the beast's innards, but is short-lived when he hits a large tree etched with the FUEL TV logo and the words "Buzz Kill."
"These spots are in keeping with Buck's very artistic style, thoughtful design, and humorous concepts," says Honey. 'The Beast' was conceived by designer Chris Lee and is highly-indicative of both Chris' and Buck's style. It's weird, colorful and just plain funny."
In "Damn Gravity," an unsuspecting skateboarder prepares to perform a gravity-defying move, only to have Gravity itself emerge in the form of an electrically charged red monster. Composed entirely of small red lightning bolts, the monster uses his appendages to upset the airborne skater. Overwhelmed, he falls from his board and becomes a messy red pile on the ramp, his final curse (and the spot's title) spattered on the wall together with the FUEL TV logo. In keeping with the primal nature of gravity itself, the Buck team used an old style technique to realize the new ID.
"We considered creating the monster entirely in 3D," says Honey. "After playing around with the character, however, we came to the conclusion that hand drawing was the way to go. Every single frame of the ID involved one of five different artists sitting down with a pen and drawing every line by hand. We printed out all the frames in order to view how close they needed to get to the camera and the exact lengths of the lines. After drawing every frame, we sequenced them out and went to work drawing masks around each and every one. It was labor-intensive, but fun in an arcane sort of way."
"The Beast" and "Damn Gravity" are the first half of the package BUCK is creating for FUEL TV.
Technologies used: Autodesk Maya, Adobe After Effects
Buck
Specializing in design-driven creative, Buck's directors and artists use animation, visual effects and live action to collaborate with clients, from concept to delivery, producing work that is visceral, innovative, and diverse.
From offices in New York and Los Angeles, Buck works with a broad range of clients in the advertising, broadcast, retail and entertainment industries.
Buck: https://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/8516
"Damn Gravity" Credits
BUCK
* Creative Director: Ryan Honey
* Executive Producer: Maurie Enochson
* Producer: Nick Terzich
* Art Director: Thomas Schmid
* Design: Thomas Schmid, Chris Lee
* 3D/Animation: Patrick Scruggs, Paul America, Bill Dorais, Jeremy Sahlman, Ken Quemuel, Carl Harders
* 2D/Cel: Joe Mullen, Sarah Koteles, Chris Lee
* Editor: Harry Walsh
* Music: Insurgent Music
FUEL TV
* VP Marketing & On-Air Promo: Jake Munsey
* Director On-Air Promo: Oren Hatum
* Producer: Todd Dever
"The Beast" Credits
BUCK
* Creative Director: Ryan Honey
* Executive Producer: Maurie Enochson
* Producer: Nick Terzich
* Art Director: Thomas Schmid
* Design: Chris Lee
* 3D/Animation: Patrick Scruggs, Paul America, Yates Holley, Bill Dorais, Ken Quemuel, Tim Hayward
* Editor: Harry Walsh
* Music: Cypher Audio
FUEL TV
* VP Marketing & On-Air Promo: Jake Munsey
* Director On-Air Promo: Oren Hatum
* Producer: Todd Dever