Bicoastal creative production company Stardust Studios recently collaborated with MAC Cosmetics to create an artistic in-store video. Stardust art director Brad Tucker and executive producer Eileen Doherty teamed-up to co-direct the 4:20 showpiece, which was used in conjunction with other promotional elements in pre-release events across the U.S. on Feb. 14. The presentation will also be featured in international M.A.C stores through June, and is part of a Culture Bloom CD-ROM release being distributed to event attendees.

“Culture Bloom is a very colorful new collection, and M.A.C is extremely proactive when it comes to empowering their distributors and those who use their products,” explained Doherty. “We began working with the company in December to handle all aspects of creating this video. Each individual featured in the video inspired the look and movement of the finished piece. One of our main challenges was keeping the design and animation fresh and imaginative from beginning to end.”

With Final Cut Pro used for the edit, the artists’ toolset also included Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects, plus Cinema 4D and Maya.

The project was developed under the guidance of M.A.C Cosmetics’ Senior Vice President/Creative Director James Gager, Vice President Design Toni Lakis, Executive Director Matthew Parr and Producer Cindy Carrandi.

Stardust’s team also included live-action producer Joel Todaro, producers Kathy Cogar and Christie Price, and assistant editor Michael Merkwan. R!OT in Santa Monica handled telecine and visual effects. Music was composed by Venice-based Mophonics, and final audio was mixed by Robert Feist at Ravenswork, also in Venice.

About Stardust Studios
Stardust is an award-winning creative production company, specializing in motion design, animation, visual effects and live-action production. Led by executive creative director Jake Banks, Stardust’s Santa Monica and New York offices continually redefine cutting-edge aesthetics for commercial, on-air, music video and in-store presentations. Their recent work – including projects for the world’s top ad agencies, brands and recording artists – has earned numerous awards and worldwide editorial exposure. For more information, please visit www.stardust.tv .