Broadcast design and animation studio motion504 recently wet its design appetite on a compelling show open for “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” a new weekly program on the Travel Channel. Hosted by Chef Andrew Zimmern, the show follows this intrepid food personality as he embarks on a quest to find the world’s most bizarre, interesting and edible foods.

Commissioned by Tremendous! Entertainment, the :10 open captures the worldly feel and incredible delicacies of the show. With the breaking of day, an old-world globe representing a bowl drops from the sky and into a rich animated environment of water, 3D mountains and foliage. The bowl collects unusual foods along its journey including a flying fish and a tentacle that grabs a jumping cricket before transitioning into the title of the show.

For the design, the motion504 team of Andy Reynolds, Scott Wenner and Amy Schmitt used a combo of Asian-style etchings, hand-drawn animations, and 2D and 3D elements.

“The show open reflects our desire for a simplified, iconic look to our environments,” explains Reynolds. “We used traditional Asian water and cloud illustrations, which inspired the rest of the design. The foods are the stars of the show. For this reason, we assigned vibrant colors to the foods, and kept the travel environment lively and textural, but more monochromatic. The representations of the foods had to be generic enough, but also give a sense of their uniqueness.”

Reynolds says the hands-on collaboration with Tremendous! Entertainment was key to a smooth creative process.

“A lot of information had to be conveyed and executed within 10 seconds,” concludes Reynolds. “It was great to have this level of support and input from Tremendous! and the client. We’re all very happy with the end result.”

About motion504
motion504 is a broadcast design and animation studio, which specializes in the art of motion. Featuring the talents of senior-level creative directors, designers and animators, the company has done work for film, TV, advertising and music clients including Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Women’s Entertainment (We), and mega artist Beyonc?¬¨¬© Knowles. motion504, with its open studio space, is built upon the idea of collaboration through communication, critique and contribution amongst its artists and clients. This collective philosophy lends itself to the company’s talent contributing to each and every project, and drawing upon their creative skills and technical experience in design, animation, 3D modeling, illustration and visual effects.
www.motion504.com

“Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” airs on Monday nights on Travel Channel.

CREDITS
Client: Travel Channel

Production Company: Tremendous! Entertainment

Creative Direction, Design & Animation Company: motion504

Creative Directors/Designer: Andy Reynolds, Amy Schmitt & Scott Wenner