Color Grading + HD Finishing: Serving Indie, Series & Docs » Motion Graphics

Sarasota Opera

James — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:19:25 +0000

Bill Wagy from Bill Wagy Productions rang me up and asked me to design an animated intro for a film he was shooting about the Sarasota Opera, one of America’s finest venues. The SO has a unique logo that I felt could play a central role in the animation.

The Opera company is world-renown for its performances of Verdi, so I chose Verdi’s Triumphal March from Aida.

Credits: Motion Designer, Producer, Animator.

Kennedy Space Center / Star Trek

James — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:35:36 +0000

This is a :15 second commercial that I produced to support a contest for tickets to the Star Trek Exhibition at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex.

I modeled the Enterprise in Cinema 4D; the ship, transporter Fx, space starfield, etc., were composited in After Effects. The sound Fx, music and voice-over were added in Final Cut.

Live long, and prosper.

Credits: Producer, Director, Motion Graphics Designer

JS Foundation

James — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:27:13 +0000

This is a :30 second commercial that I produced for a client who is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The client already had a pre-existing standard definition commercial. I was recommended to them, and they asked if I would step in and re-image the spot in 1080 HD.

The client’s agency sent me the green screen video via ftp. After looking at the video I felt I could help the client achieve their objective.

I generally work backwards, so the first thing I did was to design the motion graphics animation for the logo, which you see at the end of the commercial. Everything else flowed from that; the look, feel, and pacing. The client approved all changes, and chose the background color.

Even though the commercial is in high definition, all graphics are 4:3 title safe. This is a practice that will one day become a thing of the past when everyone is watching television on high definition sets.

Once approved, I uploaded the finished commercial via ftp for broadcast by local television stations in the Cincinnati market.

Credits: Producer, Director, Motion Graphics Designer

Growing an HD commercial

James — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:12:51 +0000

I just wrapped post-production on a new :30 second commercial for a client in Cincinnati, Ohio.

You can see the finished commercial and read about the unique challenges here.

2011 Motion Graphics Reel

James — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:52:18 +0000

This is my 2011 Motion Graphics Demo Reel.

I am an Award-winning Producer, and I am available for freelance projects in both television commercial production, and film.

Contact me here, and let’s talk.

The Apple

James — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:09:48 +0000

This is one of those challenges that you encounter every now and then. The client came in with a :15 second campaign. Production goes off flawlessly. The actress is a joy to work with. The crew is terrific.
During Post-production, the client changed their mind and decided they now wanted a :30 second commercial not a :15.
No time to re-shoot, just ‘fix it in post.’

Credits: Producer, Director, Motion Graphics Designer

Joseph’s Classic Market

James — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:58:26 +0000

This :30 second commercial won the 2011 Addy Award for Best Television Campaign.

I was inspired to write it after seeing the classic commercial for Perrier that advertising great, Hal Riney, created.
Using that as a starting point, I conceived the idea of branding an image for our client around the idea of old world/new world.
I wrote the commercial in an hour, and story-boarded it at home later that night. The client loved the concept immediately, and approved the finished commercial as is.

Credits: Producer, Director, Writer, Motion Graphics Designer

Joseph’s Classic Market: Catering

James — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:49:32 +0000

This :15 second commercial won the 2011 Gold Addy Award for Best TV Campaign.

The client loved the initial :30 second spot so much, he asked for a new commercial. Rather than just do a cut down, and shorten the first one I created an entirely new commercial based on one of his many services.

Credits: Producer, Director, Writer, Motion Graphics Designer

Ford: The New American Road

James — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:56:03 +0000

The Ford Motor Company asked me to create a :10 second commercial to promote a one-hour special about the famed automaker.

Credits: Producer, Director, Motion Graphics Designer, Editor.

Ferber Dental

James — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:12:29 +0000

This was a wonderful commercial to be part of. I had five terrific actors to work with. The ad agency who repped the client could not have been more pleasant to work with. And, the production crew had a great time. And when the project was completed, the client loved the spot. Couldn’t have asked for a better time!

Credits: Producer, Director, Motion Graphics Designer, Editor