The Science Channel has tapped 21Boom, a Manhattan based creative group, to design and produce a Discoveries This Week vignette for Nintendo Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day game.

The sixty-second spot utilizes live-action footage and animated graphics to introduce Nintendo Brain Age and help explain its unique brainteaser exercises and activities. 21Boom designed the set and produced the live action shoot in New York City. All graphic design, animation, editorial and compositing were also completed in-house at 21Boom.

Brain Age is inspired by the research of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. Gamers must make quick simple math calculations, take memory tests or read out short passages to keep their brain in shape.

An important component of the spot is a graphic segment that illustrates how using Brain Age can stimulate the mind through increased blood flow to the brain. ‘Our challenge was to take this complicated concept and explain it visually in several seconds,’ explains 21Boom Principal and Creative Director Markus Horak. ‘We had to get the point across quickly without oversimplifying.’ This effect was achieved by compositing footage of players and animated graphic elements derived directly from the Brain Age game.

At the start of the animation, a woman contemplates various reading and mathematical exercises and her thought process is represented by a swirl of words and equations above her head. The graphic elements then transition to a fully animated and stylized segment illustrating the effect of the exercises and stimulation of the mind.

‘Our production time frame for this project required us to work simultaneously on the live-action shoot and the graphic design and animation,’ said 21Boom Producer Kristen Molina. ‘Within a day of the shoot we had a rough edit with animated elements for review. It was an incredibly smooth process that required a little tap dancing and a lot of teamwork,’ added Molina.

‘This is one of those projects that could have been extremely sticky with the number of people that were involved,’ stated Erin Newsome, Writer and Producer for The Science Channel. ’21Boom helped to make it a breeze and we’sre all very happy with the results.’

The spot will air on The Science Channel and Discovery Channel, as well as on domestic and international airline channels. It can also be viewed on BrainAge.com beginning in April of 2006. Discoveries This Week airs every Friday and Sunday at 8:00pm on The Science Channel.

The full spot can be viewed by accessing the following link: www.21boom-media-design.com

About 21Boom, Inc.
21Boom, founded in 1999, is a multi-disciplined creative studio specializing in broadcast design, animated graphics and live action for television, film, advertising and entertainment.

The company is located in Union Square at 853 Broadway, suite 1406, New York, NY 10003. For additional information, or to see a demo reel, contact Principal and Creative Director Markus Horak at (212) 999-7977. You can also view 21Boom work online at www.21boom.com.