George Lopez is often called a giant of comedy and this was deftly translated into a physical realty in the on-air promo for Lopez’ live HBO special “George Lopez: Americas Mexican.” The promo is the result of collaboration between the creative minds at HBO Creative Services and the diverse talents of hybrid studio Engine Room.

Emblematic of Engine Room’s unique methodology, the project began with a concept by HBO Director/Creative Director Chris Stifel and Writer/Producer Justin Joseph, which was then pre-visualized by Engine Room’s 3D visual effects team.

The concept, involving a giant George Lopez traversing the country from Manhattan to Hollywood depicted the comedian interacting with US national landmarks along the way, tapping the spectrum of Engine Room’s creative offerings. This included a green screen shoot with George Lopez shot by Engine Room DP/Senior VFX Supervisor Dan Schmit.

After the shoot the spots were edited by writer/producer Justin Joseph. Then the piece was given back to Engine Room for seamless integration with the visual effects. A complex blend of 2D, 3D and volumetric clouds was developed using a combination of Maya and a proprietary volumetric renderer. The final result is a larger-than-life promotion for a massive caliber comedian.

“We loved the collaboration with Chris and Justin,” says Dan Schmit. “It was our first project with HBO and we hope it is the beginning of a great relationship. Shooting George was a blast – the concept was very tightly mapped out for our visual effects work, but still allowed for the off-the-hook ad-libbing and spontaneity that only George Lopez can bring to the screen.”

HBO George Lopez Promo Credits
HBO Creative Services/Marketing:
Chris Stifel: Director/Creative Director
Justin Joseph: Writer/Producer

Engine Room VFX:
DP/Sr. VFX Supervisor: Dan Schmit
VFX Supervisor: Andrew Honacker
CG Supervisor: Mike Romey
Executive Producer: Michael Caplan

About Engine Room
Engine Room defines the future of filmmaking, fusing the lines between production and postproduction until they disappear. How? By integrating the entire process into one streamlined effort, resulting in a powerful environment for imagination and experimentation. Discover the incredible benefits of working with a talented specialty shooting unit and digital effects team under one roof. The hybrid studio is known for its extraordinary work for clients in the feature film, teaser/trailers, commercials and broadcast arenas.

www.engineroomvfx.com