Riding high off its recent regional Emmy wins for its graphics package for the Colorado Avalanche NHL team and commercial for Ford, creative digital studio !mpossible Pictures has just completed hard-hitting graphics and VFX for a new Nationally broadcast Polaris® ATV and RANGER(TM) utility vehicle holiday spot.

Created by Denver ad agency The Integer Group, “Season to Ride” blends live-action footage of Polaris ATV riders with abstract graphics to introduce the Polaris holiday incentives. Motion effects juxtapose warm holiday phrases, like “Roasting the Turkey” and “Trimming the Tree,” against visuals of the brute force and toughness of the ATVs. The spot then directs viewers to their local Polaris dealers to capitalize on the new holiday deals.

“From our very first meeting it was quite clear that they (!mpossible Pictures) had a complete understanding of our vision,” said Creative Director John Marquis. “The Integer creative team, comprised of Senior Art Director Fletcher Ohmart, Senior Copywriter Patrick Cameron, and Producer Kimberly Murphy, worked hand in hand with Hector and the team at !mpossible to really bring that vision to life. It was a true collaboration with a dynamic end result.”

!mpossible was responsible for creating a 2D graphic layout and bringing it into a 3D environment. Using Polaris print ad elements as a start, the artists expanded on the idea, providing movement and animation to the graphics, and choreographing their interactions within the environment.

For the unique “color pull” effect, !mpossible VFX Artist Hector Espinosa extracted certain key images from the footage and “pulled” its colors off to create abstract line shapes, which would then drive the shots through the graphic environments and point to the next key moment.

“The most challenging aspect of the spot was the physical time crunch,” says Espinosa. “There were two heavy hitters in this spot working against each other: the graphic effect that we wanted to achieve, and the large amount of information that needed to get across in the spot. We had to allow enough of the effect to play out so that we could really feel those colors pulling off from the footage, but also get through the moment quickly enough to deliver the information through titles and voiceover.”

“The original idea was really awesome, but how to achieve the effect technically was the real trick,” adds Steve Urbano, VP/Director of !mpossible. “Hector delivered on the promise we made to the agency in how to execute their vision of the spot. He knocked out a test prior to the start of the project that proved how cool the graphics could look being extracted from the live action. When they saw the test, they immediately had the confidence we could execute the look they wanted.”

Photoshop was used to sample the different colors of the images and creating the abstract line shapes and gradients that would later be animated using Discreet Logic Flame. Once those key elements were created, !mpossible brought everything together in Flame’s “Action Setup,” which gave the artists the ability to lay them out in 3D space. Using Flame, they created the 3D graphic “feel” through the use of cameras, lighting and animation.

“The collaboration with the agency was full on,” concludes Espinosa. “The creative team was here throughout the entire process, giving feedback and making suggestions. It was a very positive experience. We got to know each other, and understand each other’s workflow, and in the end, I think everyone walked away pleased with the final outcome. It also gave them the chance to see how powerful a tool Flame is as a compositing system. In terms of true camera, lighting and 3D space capabilities, the real hero was Flame.”

Client: Polaris

Airdate: 10/30/06

Spot Titles:
(3 x:30 & 2 x:25/:05)
“Polaris Season to Ride”
YXOT 6362 – Canada Corporate
YXOT 6563 – Canada Dealer
YXOT 6364 – French-Canada Corporate
YXOT 6360 – U.S. Corporate
YXOT 6561 – U.S. Dealer

Advertising Agency: The Integer Group
Creative Director: John Marquis
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Salomon
Producer: Kimberly Murphy
Art Director: Fletcher Ohmart
Copywriter: Patrick Cameron

Production Company: Media Loft
Director: Bob Hawkinson
Executive Producer: Greg Friedman

Editorial, VFX & Postproduction Company: !mpossible Pictures Editor/Online Editor/Flame Artist: Hector Espinosa Assistant Editor: Eve Schutz Executive Producer: Steve Urbano
Producer: Julie Morrandez

Music, Sound Design & Audio Post Company: Coupe Studios Composer/Sound Designer: Kip Kuepper
Mixer: Kip Kuepper
Executive Producer: Scott Roche

About !mpossible Pictures
Located in the heart of Lower Downtown Denver, leading creative digital studio !mpossible Pictures produces broadcast design and commercials for network television and advertising clients. The company of directors and artists specializes in tirelessly guiding their clients through a unique process to realize their most ambitious visions. Services include full creative turnkey production with specialties in broadcast design, CGI/animation, editorial, visual effects, and compositing utilizing state-of-the-art tools like Discreet Flame, Discreet Smoke and Softimage XSI.

!mpossible Pictures has produced award-winning work for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Discovery Channel, The National Geographic Channel, DISH Network, Ford, Dupont, and Western Union. In addition to past Emmys, Clios, Addys and Art Directors awards, the artists of !mpossible Pictures were most recently honored with national BDA Awards for their work on the NRB Network On-Air Identity and Logo.

www.impossiblepictures.com