Mother New York recently called upon Riot to complete VFX for a series of hilarious spots promoting the airing of The Star Wars films on Spike TV. The spots feature legendary Star Wars characters consorting with every-day men on planet Earth. Each spot ends with comical twists on Jedi proverbs before concluding with “there is much to be learned.”

The first spot entitled “Golf” features the infamous Star Wars antagonist Darth Vader taking a swing at the links. A friendly wager on a putt goes awry after Darth uses a little Jedi mind trick to steer the ball into the hole. One golfer shouts, refusing to pay-up after realizing he’s been outwitted by the Dark Side. Finding the accusation intolerable, Darth puts the man in a Sith stranglehold. Another golfer comes flailing to the rescue with a golf club, but recoils when Darth pulls out the ominous Lightsaber. The spot ends with some comical Jedi wisdom: “Competition can bring out a guy’s dark side.”

The second spot pairs an Ewok with man’s best friend. Set in a park, an unsuspecting twenty-something is reading the newspaper on a park bench when a tennis ball rolls by his feet; chasing after the ball is a cuddly Ewok! The man picks up the tennis ball and says to the Ewok, “Hey little puppy.” Unknowingly patronizing the furry warrior he asks, “Want your ball?” The Ewok swipes and jumps for the ball, which only encourages the man to juke the Ewok and play keep-away before tossing it into the woods. Finally, the exasperated Ewok pulls out its slingshot and lands a rock right between the man’s eyes. The spot ends with a little Jedi wisdom: “Never assume cute means harmless.”

About RIOT:
RIOT is a creative studio with unparalleled resources – virtually unmatched both creatively and technologically. The RIOT team dedicates itself to attentive creative collaboration, approaching each project holistically, drawing upon a deep knowledge of visual effects, color correction and live action experience.

Recent feature film credits for RIOT include: Time Traveler’s Wife, The Spirit and Jumper, and currently finishing 17. Commercial campaigns and music videos recently completed at RIOT include spots for Target, MGM Grand, Burger King, Spike TV and Nike.

CREDITS:
Mother New York:
Creative Director: Linus Karlsson
Creative Director: Paul Malmstrom
Mother: Renee Rauchut
Producer: Michael Aaron
Copywriter: Greg Hunter
Copywriter: Allon Tatarka
Art Director: Mat Driscoll
Art Director: Rob Baird

H.S.I. Productions:
Director: Ryan Ebner
Executive Producer: Michael McQuhae
Producer: Alison Foster
Director of Photography: St??ps Langensteiner

Riot/New York:
Executive Producer: Brent Holt
Executive Producer: D. Todd Davidovich
Producer: Peter Stanik
On Set VFX Supervisor: Cris Blyth
Lead VFX Artist: Tom McCullough
VFX artist: Matt Reilly
Junior VFX Artist: Chris Hunt
Junior VFX Artist: Steve Morris
Junior VFX Artist: Chris Wiseman
CG Supervisor: Christopher “Pink” Bonnstetter

Cosmo Street:
Amy Febinger Producer
Jason McDonald Editor
Aaron Langley Editor

Company 3, New York:
Colorist: Tim Masick
Producer: Tara Dowd

Sound Lounge:
Audio Mixer: Jodi Levine
Audio Mixer: Pat Christensen
Sound Designer: Marshall Grupp