BT Digital Music Awards at the Roundhouse

Locomotion’s Alex Hare designed, created and animated the motion graphics for an ambitious 8-screen projection at the 2010 BT Digital Music Awards in London’s Roundhouse. Commissioned by Ballistic Events, Alex enhanced the BT DMA’s existing branding and developed visuals to complement Reality Awards’ innovative stage and screen set up.

The BTDMAs are the premier awards, recognising the best in digital music entertainment as well as uses of digital technology in the music industry – from websites and blogs to fan-sites, podcasts and more. The BT DMA website opened up many of the awards for public voting while other category winners were selected by industry judges.

The challenge for the VT content was to create an animation sequence on the first screen which would trigger further animated pixilation effects to move across the other 7 screens while all 8 simultaneously displayed video content. Alex used Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and Final Cut Pro to produce stunning results. Creating the pixilation effects and simultaneously displaying excerpts of a different nominee’s work on each of the screens created the look and feel of an immersive digital experience for the enthusiastic audience.

Amongst the big screens and bright lights, hosts Caroline Flack and Matt Edmonson presented awards to the likes of JLS, Adam Buxton, Tinie Tempah and Gorillaz. The event also featured live performances by Marina and the Diamonds, Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Scouting for Girls, Roll Deep Ne-Yo, and McFly. For more details about the nominees and winners, please visit the BTDMA website.

Notorious Hi Fi Killers. “More Again Now”

Miland Suman directed, edited and animated “More Again Now”, a Monkeys-esque music video for the Notorious Hi Fi Killers. Filmed on a Canon 5D with a crew of 12, most of whom were part of the art department, Miland and his team created a magical undersea world and other trippy environments all within the band’s rehearsal space. He did a second stills shoot to capture images of the band members and their instruments so they could be transformed into puppet-like animations. Back at Locomotion, Miland composited and animated with After Effects and graded using Color Finesse.

‘Keep Moving’ Adam Deacon & Bashy, feat. Paloma Faith

Locomotion’s Miland Suman recently completed the online and colour grade for “Keep Moving” the theme song for Noel Clarke’s upcoming film “4.3.2.1” (out on 2 June).  Adam Deacon and Bashy feature Paloma Faith on their track, and the promo captures the drama and glamour of the diamond heist storyline from the film.  Maya Jenkins at Universal Pictures commissioned producer Phil Tidy and director Nick Mason to make the promo which received its debut on the News of the World’s web site.  Shot on Red Cam with anamorphic lenses at the Sanctum Soho Hotel in London and incorporating scenes from the movie, Miland’s online and grade helped to join the looks of the rushes and the film into a sexy glittering promo for the film’s soundtrack.

Check it out on our Showcase page.

Hidden Talent – Miland Suman creates new Bertie Blackman promo ‘Black Cats’

Miland lives and breathes moving image, so when the opportunity arises for some out of hours creative action he is rarely a man to say no. So, when the chance was offered to work on an exiting new pop promo for Australian singer songwriter, Bertie Blackman, the answer was a resounding ‘yes please’! Working in partnership with 3D artist Richard Thomas, the pair formed a directorial collaboration and found themselves up against all the usual restraints of the modern pop promo.

The dynamic duo pulled out all the stops to create a highly original, creative and technically complex animated film for the new single ‘Black Cats’. In just 12 evenings Miland and Richard developed the creative treatment, made and cut out 6 cardboard puppets from Bertie’s artwork and rigged, shot and animated the elements to create a 3 minute film where each shot is individual, there are no repeats of backgrounds or animation.

Miland and Richard received high praise for the finished film, Bertie loves it and her management company think it’s ace. But Miland and Richard aren’t hanging around, work has already started on their next project, another promo for the new single from Notorious Hi-Fi Killers – watch this space for more!

MVA Ceremony 13.10.09

Music Video Awards ceremony – 13th October 2009

With the nominations announced this week (see our news section for details) the MVA awards ceremony is just around the corner. Locomotion is all-a-buzz with who’ll be winning what and who’ll be wearing what at the ceremony held at the Odeon West End, in Leicester Square. With an after show party held at Orchid in Piccadilly Circus, the evening promises not only an opportunity to see the best in UK music video talent for 2009 but also a great chance to have a bit of a dance too!

If you’d like to join the party, tickets are still available from the MVA website, click here for details.

Turning It Up for The Feeling

Now that The Feeling’s promo for their latest single ‘Turn It Up’ is on MTV, we’re free to shout about the magic…

With a vision to create a decadent ‘carnival of life’ that parades past as the band plays, complete with revelers,  balloons and streamers, Director Caswell Coggins needed to enhance the party scenes and Crossroad Production’s turned to our VFX team for help. 

Senior 3D Artist Tony Lee and senior editor Lee Bamsey advised during pre-planning and supervised the setting of VFX shots on location.

Once back in our studio Tony worked closely with Coggins to enhance the colorful crowd scenes by duplicating crowd shots and compositing in After Effects to bring the throng to life and create a sense of hugeness to the end hero shots.

Tony also built additional balloons in 3D using Lightwave particle system to recreate the dynamics of falling balloons, adding texture and lighting to match the real ones from the shoot, and interaction when they landed near people. Further layers of 3D confetti and streamers were also generated using the same software. Finally, all elements were composited into the shots and graded to achieve the final effect the Director was looking for.

The video was edited at Marshall Street Editing and then conformed here at Locomotion by our Senior Editor Lee Bamsey in Final Cut Pro.

Check it out here…