This presented the challenge of educating our designers to recreate the unique animation and clever functionality of Microsoft's huge product prior to launch, but we also had to build a stellar team of scale that could work on distinctive spots for one of the biggest global launches that we've seen in years.
To achieve this, we established a collaborative relationship with the creative team at Crispin and the developers at Microsoft. As with any major launch of software of this nature, the developers and programmers were working to tweak the software right up until its launch day. All of this perfection of animation and functionality had to be integrated into our designs and animation.
We had a team of Designers, Graphic Editors, Programmers and Flame artists, telecine, and back room staff that totaled around forty people. Everyone on the team had to take responsibility for their roles as the turnaround time on the spots was beyond fast.
Stephen Venning, Mill EP commented, "In a world where we have all been pressured by deadlines and efficiencies, what uniquely impressed me about this project was that we were able to almost form a huge creative team of people within the Mill space made up of both Crispin creatives and Producers, and Mill Designers and production staff, and yet at the same time the creative integrity and demand for perfection never wained, and for that everyone involved should be very proud."
Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky
Producer: Sloan Schroeder
Creative Directors: Dan Donovan, Dave Steinke
Creatives: Robbin Ingvarsson, Waldemar & Wegelin
Account Director: Devin Reiter
Production Company: Pretty Bird
Director: Paul Hunter
Executive Producers: Kerstin Emhoff, Ali Brown
Producer: William Green
Director of Photography: Steve Yedlin
Editing: The Mill
Editors: Gabriel J. Diaz, Victor Jory, Pascal Leister, Ryan Delk, Dan Reitzenstein
Edit Assist: Josh Hamilton
VFX & Design: Mill
Executive Producer: Stephen Venning
VFX Producers: Jess Ambrose, Lee Buckley
Creative Director: Andrew Proctor
2D Lead Artists: Adam Lambert, Gareth Parr
Assists: Patrick Munoz, Margolit Steiner
Animation Lead: Justin Sucara
Animation Artists: Clarice Chin, Alex Van Dyne, Eric Auzenne, Andrew Marks, Victor Duncan, Miguel Rodriguez, Chris Burkhalter, Jon Anderson
Animation Assists: Greg Park, Kyle Moore