T H E   I M A G I N A R I U M   O F   D O C T O R   P A R N A S S U S

© Copyright Poo Poo Pictures Productions Ltd.

After the success of The Brothers Grimm, Terry Gilliam returned to Brandt Animation with his most recent film, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus".

The front title cards were designed to reflect the old and new worlds encountered in the movie.

The inclusion of a tribute to Heath Ledger and producer William Vince, who died during the production, meant that the main titles were placed more comfortably at the end of the film.

To integrate with the final scene which features a Victorian toy theatre, a digital version was designed as a vehicle for major cast and crew credits, and the end roller.

Finn Brandt also created various captions using his talent for traditional penmanship, including the final frame of the movie, "A Film from Heath Ledger and Friends".

Please click here for the Dr Parnassus Showcase

T O S H I B A   T G 0 1

© Copyright Topspin Communication Limited.

Topspin commissioned Brandt Animation to produce a digital model of the new Toshiba TG01 to be used in promotional videos created to launch this new phone. The videos were first screened at the Consumer Electronics Show 2009.

Producing digital models of new products has become a popular way to generate closeups of design details which cannot be achieved when filming prototypes. This process also allows ultimate control of movement, camera angles and lighting.

G O D S K I T C H E N

© Copyright PBPTV.

In 2005 Peter Brookes from PBPTV asked Brandt Animation to create animation promoting the "Godskitchen Classics" album. The Godskitchen brand has enjoyed great success and Brandt Animation have been involved in promoting every album since, including the new "Godskitchen Anthems 2009".
Sophisticated rendering techniques are used to make the brand look new and exciting every time.

D E A T H   A T   A   F U N E R A L  

© Copyright VIP Medienfonds.

Director Frank Oz asked Brandt Animation to design an opening title presenting 37 actors and crew members for the beginning of his award winning film 'Death At A Funeral' without overlapping the live action, without being boring and without using humour, a seemingly impossible task.

Finn Brandt says: "We suggested creating a sequence which would explain the journey of the coffin before we see it carried out of the hearse in the first scene of the film, thus adding to the story without interfering with it. This would also give us a setting to carry the many credits". This concept was approved and applauded.

Composer Murray Gold was commissioned to create original music which would converge beautifully with the visuals and give the opening a subtle and wry sense of humour anticipating this hilarious film.

Brandt Animation suggested using out-takes in the film‘s end credits as a reminder of the actors‘ names and their characters. Visual elements from the front titles were incorporated to elegantly wrap what has got to be one of the funniest films of the year.

D R   W H O   &   S H R E K

© Copyright GE Fabbri.

303 Production commissioned Brandt Animation to produce digital animated elements for a range of commercials for GE Fabbri, the UK‘s major part-work publishing house.

The Tardis and collecting cards were digitally modelled, animated and integrated with live action for "Dr Who Battles in Time" magazine.

For "Shrek‘s Quest" a range of amulets was created including digital environments and props such as collector‘s albums, wooden tables and leafy foliage.

Layers of effects were added including digital magic dust and various other light effects.

S M O K I N '   A C E S  

© Copyright Universal Pictures.

Brandt Animation created an exciting and dynamic logo sequence to promote the action packed crime thriller, starring Ben Affleck and Ray Liotta.
Numerous techniques were utilised, including cloud tank footage, computer generated smoke and a combination of simulated and hand animated glass shards, to achieve a dynamic but controllable explosion triggered by the flying bullet.

V I R G I N   T E R R I T O R Y  

© Copyright Delta Films Limited.

Brandt Animation created the opening and closing titles for David Leland‘s romantic comedy starring Hayden Christensen, Mischa Barton, Chris Egan and Tim Roth.
Set in Florence during the black plague, the film was shot on location in and around the Siena region in Italy.

The opening title features a journey through the sky ending on a painted version of Siena cathedral which fades into the first scene of the film.

It was natural to reflect some of the renaissance style of the locations in the design of the titles, with painted cherubs in cheeky poses referring to antics in the film.

A digital multi-plane shoot allowed full control over the timing of the animated paintings which were created using a combination of traditional and digital tools.

T H E   B R O T H E R S   G R I M M

© Copyright Dimension Films.

How do you create a title sequence for a Terry Gilliam film ?
Brandt Animation found the answer for "The Brothers Grimm".
Finn Brandt explains: "By creating a range of watercolour paintings with shapes and textures hinting at enchanted forests and mystical creatures, we pull the audience into the movie, building up anticipation without letting the cat out of the bag".

All artwork was created traditionally, scanned and manipulated using 2D and 3D software. This process allowed maximum control over timing and incorporation of additional animated elements such a misty version of the evil queen, flying ravens and grabbing tree hands.

Gilliam was keen to exploit Finn‘s calligraphy expertise to produce a distinctive and original logo influenced by italian, german and french penmanship. The first handwritten logos were accepted with enthusiasm, leading Gilliam to commission Brandt Animation to produce many other elements in the film, including handwritten captions and the film‘s end titles.

N O W   T H A T S   W H A T   I   C A L L   M U S I C   !

© Copyright PBPTV.

Virgin Music's flagship series is going from strength to strength, now selling more than 4 million copies. Brandt Animation has been involved in developing the brand for the UK commercials since 1996, and more recently for the American market, ensuring a place in the top 20 every time.

Please click here to see stills from previous NOW commercials.

T H U N D E R B I R D S  

© Copyright Universal Pictures International.

Universal Pictures came to Brandt Animation for the creation of the spiritual successor to the Thunderbirds logo which everybody came to love during the ‘70s.

Brandt Animation designed the logo and animated graphic sequences used for trailers worldwide, including japanese and spanish versions.

The opening of the sequence contains digital steam elements, automated pneumatics and digital sprays of electrical sparks. The logo background is a combination of procedural clouds and live action fireworks.

The new Thunderbirds live action extravaganza was released July 2004.

K U W A I T   P I F S S  

© Copyright A M Hayat Media.

Brandt Animation created 76 seconds of animation to celebrate the opening of a new landmark building in Kuwait City.
A digital version of the building and a large part of the surrounding city, as well as fireworks and time-lapse dawn effects were created using a range of animation software.

The animation forms part of a programme created by Hayat Media which will be broadcast in the Middle East in connection with the opening of the new headquarters for the Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) at the end of April 2004. A version of the film will also be screened at the event.

A large number of DVDs containing the programme will be distributed to guests, customers, conventions and embassies amongst others.
The new PIFSS headquarters will symbolise the importance of this government agency and make a dramatic statement on the city's skyline. The $53M building covers 58,000m² and is 27 storeys high.

R O Y A L   B A N K   O F  S C O T L A N D

© Copyright Jack Morton Worldwide.

An event-opener for Royal Bank of Scotland.
The two minute sequence, integrating live action with a mixture of 2D and 3D techniques, incorporated visual cues to key issues of the event, such as environment, technology and development.

O P E R A   B A B E S  

© Copyright Quick On The Draw Productions.

QD Productions commissioned Brandt Animation to design and create a series of Daliesque backgrounds for the Opera Babes 'Beyond Imagination' CD and the video for 'One Fine Day', the ITV World Cup theme.

A series of procedural and fractal texture systems were developed to achieve the dry, weathered ambience for the whole 2'30" promo.
The Babes were shot against greenscreen and later integrated with the CG backgrounds in Editbox.

P U R E   J A Z Z   C H I L L O U T

© Copyright Peter Brookes Productions.

The brief for the 'Pure Jazz Chillout' commercial was to create a smoke-filled jazz club atmosphere, and to be able to control the smoke to such a degree that it could form the shapes of musical symbols and instruments.

Since controlling real smoke was not a viable option, Peter Brookes Productions asked Brandt Animation to originate the material.
Natural phenomena such as smoke and fire are some of the most challenging and work-intensive effects to produce: 180,000 particles are used in each frame of the animation to create drifting smoke forming musical notes, a guitar and a saxophone.

W O R K I N G   T I T L E  

© Copyright Working Title.

Brandt Animation create 'Working Title Films' new identity.

Early on in the design process it was decided to drop the word 'Films' from the logo and focus on the shorter 'Working Title', enabling the typography to be integrated more firmly into the logo.
Once the design was in place, a range of ideas and storyboard concepts for the moving ident was presented, one of which was developed into the sequence which can be seen in cinemas and on video worldwide today.
The new Working Title logo has also been incorporated into stationery and printed material throughout the company.

The on-screen ident was first used on 'Bridget Jones's Diary'and 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin'.
All new video releases also feature the sequence.

A L W A Y S   U L T R A  -  F E A T H E R

© Copyright D'Arcy, Frankfurt/Paris.

Brandt Animation created a digital feather for the Always Ultra advertising campaign.
Extreme care was taken to match the live action feather seen in the close up shot, using a combination of scanned chicken feathers and video reference material. The CG feather was later colourised once edit decisions had been made, determining which of the exotic birds from the shoot was most suitable.

Terry Kemble from production company K&M featured the feather throughout the commercial, ending with a long pull out to the pack shot. The feather's flight path was tracked to this pull out, constructed from layers of live action and physical models.

R E A D Y   B R E K   -   T W I S T E R   S P O N S O R S H I P

© Copyright Weetabix Limited.

The Ready Brek sponsorship of ITV's 'Twister' was created and directed by Lambie Harper and designed by Brandt Animation.

The 3D roller coaster fun-ride was inspired by the new Ready Brek packaging and the dynamics of the colourful gameshow.

A L W A Y S   U L T R A   -   S L I N K Y

© Copyright D'Arcy Frankfurt/Paris.

Production company Kemble Mantheakis turned to Brandt Animation for the development of a digital 'Slinky' after realising early on that it would be impossible to obtain enough control using traditional models when filming the Always sanitary towels campaign.

An array of procedural animation techniques were devised to simulate the complex movement and maintain an exceedingly high level of control over all aspects of the motion, including speed, motion blur, accurate start/stop positions and motion paths. The final images were achieved using Mental Ray custom shaders enabling total integration with the live action backgrounds.

A large section of the physical stairs used on the shoot was scanned into the computers at Brandt Animation and used to create the grand sweeping stairway featured in the wide shots at the beginning and end of the commercial.

M R   C O M M I T M E N T

© Hodder & Stoughton.

Brandt Animation created two animated toothbrushes for the Hodder & Stoughton commercial promoting Mike Gayle's book "Mr Commitment". Written and directed by John Snelgrove from KSA Film & Video, the 10 second commercial features a boy and a girl toothbrush acting out a scene from the book.

Brandt Animation used Mental Ray software to achieve a photo realistic look for the final images, which reflects the design on the book cover. "The biggest challenge was to establish the two toothbrushes as individual characters in the short time span of 8 seconds" says Finn Brandt.

M A R C O N I   -   G E N E V A

© Copyright Tall Order Productions.

Tall Order Productions commissioned Brandt Animation to produce a stunning 6 minute animation which was screened on a big 6 x 10 unit video wall at the Marconi presentation of Smart Photonix in Geneva at the end of the last millennium.

Motion of live dancers was digitally captured and integrated into the 3D sequences which were synchronised with light, water jets and live dancers on stage.
Three workstations were employed 24 hours a day during the 8 week production schedule.

O V D

© Copyright HP:ICM.

A stereoscopic sequence was created to front the short film about crash testing, part of the 'Opel Experience' at the Opel factory in Germany. Colour psychology was employed to enhance the feeling of depth in the 3D film, which is viewed through polarised spectacles.

P H I L   C O L L I N S   -   H I T S

© Copyright Peter Brookes Productions.

Brandt Animation created the virtual gallery to promote Phil Collins album 'HITS' marketed by Virgin Records in the UK and Warner worldwide. The album went straight to the number 1 position in the Charts when released.

Peter Brookes Productions designed and produced the commercial featuring the gallery which is based loosely on part of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, exhibiting paintings of Phil Collins and a contemporary art installation of huge letters spelling his name. The gallery also features a drum kit sculpture.

To give the give the gallery scale Brandt Animation inserted animated computer generated visitors similar to the people in 'Titanic'. To make the gallery look believable was a real challenge. We had to establish its size and layout during the first 4 seconds of the commercial. To get realism in the lighting we employed our Mental Ray software from Softimage enabling us to create soft and natural lighting, which would otherwise have been impossible.

P H A R A O H

© Copyright Ravensburger GmbH.

Brandt Animation designed and animated the detailed environments for this twenty second commercial promoting a board game by German games manufacturer Ravensburger.

Timings for the flickering torches were passed onto the character animators as well as rendered wireframes of the backgrounds to ensure perfect integration and continuity between character and environment.

U N I T E D   I N T E R N A T I O N A L   P I C T U R E S  

© Copyright United International Pictures.

The on-screen identity was designed and animated at Brandt Animation.
Each frame was rendered in 4000 lines resolution and transferred direct to film in order to maximize the sharpness and definition of the sequence.

T H E   B O R R O W E R S

© Copyright PolyGram Filmed Entertainment.

The 30 second opening sequence for Director Peter Hewitt's hit movie
was created at Brandt Animation.
The letters in the logo are highly animated reflecting the action in this dynamic film.

S W I S S   B A N K

© Copyright Passion Pictures Limited.

Sherbet commissioned Brandt Animation to create this eye catching commercial.
The scenery is composed entirely of black dots which animate to create different environments illustrating some of the activities the bank's customers can get involved in by collecting 'points'.

B R U N C H

© Copyright Antelope South.

The weekly arts show on Channel 5 that was designed and animated at Brandt Animation.
Hosted by Mariella Frostrup, the show featured interviews with leading personalities in the arts and entertainment world.

The theme music was digitised into our animation workstations, where the piano, saxophone, and percussion tracks were used to control selected elements in the design, recreating the bright and positive ambience of the show.

W O R L D   C H E S S   C H A M P I O N S H I P

© Copyright Tall Order Productions Limited.

Title sequence, break bumpers and the computer graphics chess board were produced using state of the art hardware and software.

Each chess piece was fitted with a micro chip transmitting information about its position to an array of powerful computers where the data was processed and used for controlling the virtual chess board real-time. The event took place on top of the World Trade Centre and was broadcast worldwide.

I N T E L   N E T W O R K   9 7

© Copyright Tall Order Productions.

Tall Order commissioned Brandt Animation on behalf of Intel Corporation to produce 3 minutes of character animation for the Network 97 trade shows.
Brandt Animation created the two characters, Fast Ethernet Man and Lan Man, each representing an Intel network product line.

The characters are fully articulated using inverse kinematics (computer skeletons) to interact live with the presenter at the shows. Good 'lip sync' was achieved by digitising the voice tracks and using the data to control energy bursts of light representing the mouths. Employing this technique 30 seconds of computer animation could be achieved per day.

C Y B E R S P A C E

© Copyright Antelope South.

Brandt Animation designed and created the graphics package for CYBERSPACE, a television series about virtual worlds, the Internet, computer graphics and digital effects in the movies.
The package included titles, breakbumpers, end credits, graphic links and many of the animations within the programme.

It was initially broadcast on ITV and The Discovery Channel.

Executive producers were Mick Csaky and Krishan Arora from Antelope South. Lawrence Moore produced and directed the series.

K U W A I T   U N I V E R S I T Y   2 0 0 0

© Copyright A.M.Hayat Media.

Based on architectural drawings and aerial photographs of the sites, Brandt Animation computer modelled 124 buildings placed in highly detailed virtual environments filled with computer generated trees, plants, gardens, cars, people and walkways. Close ups of people were shot on blue screen and inserted digitally in the computer animation.

12 interiors were also created. Computer models of lobbies, courtyards, corridors, classrooms and lecture halls including paintings, marble inlays, furniture, students, etc, enable the audience to move through the buildings exploring the interior designs.

B A R B   W I R E  -   T H E   M O V I E

© Copyright PolyGram Filmed Entertainment.

The title sequence for Pamela Anderson's cinema debut
. . . need we say more?

T H E   C H A R T S H O W

© Copyright Video Visuals Limited.

Brandt Animation created several of the sequences for the TV show, including opening titles, closing titles, break bumpers, the Top Ten sting and many many others.

R H O N D D A   H E R I T A G E   P A R K

© Copyright Rhondda Heritage Park.

320 seconds of animation was created for this simulator fun ride which is part of the underground experience in Rhondda Heritage Park in Wales.

C I N E M A   M E D I A

© Copyright RSA Advertising.

Brandt Animation created the animated sequence for 'Cinema Media', an RSA Advertising Company.

T H E   B E S T   S U M M E R P A R T Y   E V E R !  

© Copyright Peter Brookes Productions.

Peter Brookes Productions commissioned Brandt Animation to animate three dancing fish promoting 'The Best Summerparty Ever!' for Virgin Records.

The three cool fish are fully articulated using digital skeletons and inverse kinematics. They were taken through four different dance patterns; rave, line dance, slow dance, and even a Full Monty routine!

M I C R O S O F T   I T F O R U M 0 4

© Copyright PCI:Live.

Teaser/intro bringing to life the overall brand elements which PCI:Live created for the annual Microsoft conference.
A combination of 2D and 3D animation was used to explore and organise images, logos and words creating a strong branding sequence which was also used as an introduction to the key-note speech delivered by Bill Gates.

B D O

© Copyright The Presentation Factor.

When 'The Presentation Factor' developed the video presentation material for BDO,
a leading accounting and consulting firm with head office in Belgium, they turned to Brandt Animation for advice on how to create several animated sequences which would reinforce the fresh and professional image of the company.

Character designs and storyboards were created for approval before completing the animated sequences for the intro and chapter headings. It was important to create
a character whom potential customers would be sympathetic to, yet would work internationally.

So called toon shaders were employed to give the 3D character a 2D cartoon look which would reinforce and integrate strongly with BDO's corporate identity. The character design, storyboards and animated sequences were completed in less
than 3 weeks, using state of the art software tools running on powerful custom
built hardware platforms at Brandt Animation.

C A R L T O N   B R E A K T E A S E R

© Copyright Carlton Television.

Two teasers, showing a question mark transforming into a television and a television transforming into a telephone, prompted viewers to call for product information and enter a Caribbean holiday draw.

One of the big challenges was to design a television and a telephone with enough common features which could believably blend into each other and maintain a dynamic flow during the the 20 second long 3D morph. The sequences were designed by Misha Welsh from Carlton Television.

C O R N H I L L   C R I C K E T   S P O N S O R S H I P

© Copyright Intermediate Marketing Consultants.

The commercial, which features a cricket ground during a typical English summer with clouds, thunder, rain, hail and sunshine, was achieved 100% digitally in order to obtain complete control over the elements. Digital grass was grown with a custom written shader, and a variety of cloud patterns were created with raytraced procedural texture mapping. Animated digital flowers bloom in the shape of the freephone number; rain and hail elements were created with a particle system.

'We had to create a weather system which could change very quickly without looking unreal. Even though the English weather does change a lot we had to go through the whole repertoire in 30 seconds !' says Finn Brandt.

F I N A N C I A L   T I M E S   B U S I N E S S   T O O L K I T

© Copyright Longman Publishing.

Design and animation of a series of business videos published by Longman.