Hypester
02-11-2009, 10:35 PM
Marina Del Rey, CA – (February 11, 2009) – New Deal Studios has received two award nominations from the prestigious Visual Effects Society (VES). This 21st century studio has once again received acknowledgment from their peers for their outstanding miniature effects artistry within the feature film and commercial worlds. Nods came for their work in the box office record breaker, “The Dark Knight” and a fast-paced commercial for New Balance athletic shoes, “Anthem.” The award winners will be announced at the VES Awards Dinner held on February 21, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
New Deal Studios’ VES award nominations include:
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture
THE DARK KNIGHT - Garbage Truck Crash Models and Miniatures
Ian Hunter – Visual Effects Supervisor
Forest Fischer – Model Crew Chief
Scott Beverly – Mechanical Effects Supervisor
Adam Gelbart – Lead Model Maker
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
NEW BALANCE - Anthem
Ian Hunter – Visual Effects Supervisor
Jon Warren – Miniature Crew Chief
Matt Burlingame – Lead Model Maker
Raymond Moore – Lead Carpenter
The detailed work on the “Dark Knight” film came as Warner Bros. Studios entrusted NDS to build large scale miniatures of Chicago’s Lower Wacker Drive’s underground freeway along with computer controlled action miniatures of The Batmobile and The Joker’s Garbage Truck that culminate in a high speed chase and crash sequence.
Ian Hunter, Visual Effects Supervisor and Co-Founder of NDS, working closely with Director Christopher Nolan and Visual Effects Supervisor Nick Davis, designed and supervised the massive miniature sequence to produce stunning photorealistic effects. According to Hunter, “This was one of the most intricate and complex projects in the 13-year history of New Deal Studios. A New Deal crew of over 135 artists ranging from sculptors, carpenters, painters and mechanical effects technicians to cable camera operators, grips, electricians, and support crew all worked tirelessly over a six month period to design, build and shoot the effects.”
“The Dark Knight” was an ideal project for New Deal Studios, says Hunter. “These are the kinds of shots that we are known for and our favorite to work on because the illusion is seamless. We don’t want the audience to know there is an effect happening; we want the audience to be engrossed in the story.”
The New Balance commercial produced for BBDO by The Mill, “Anthem” is a memorable trip into the surreal. The growing love of running inspired a fantasy world of miniature buildings, bridges and streets transforming one runner’s dismal journey into a bright day.
NDS recreated an authentic feel of a New York tenement landscape by structuring the buildings to resemble the words “LOVE and HATE.” With crafted, intricate details each of the eight miniature buildings included genuine details of the brick textures to window shades, skylights and even the roof water towers. The commercial featured runners following a path of winding sloped roads through these buildings to reveal that each building was actually a letter to reveal the LOVE/HATE words.
About New Deal Studios:
New Deal Studios was founded in 1995 by Matthew Gratzner, Ian Hunter and Shannon Blake Gans, this artist owned and operated, independent company is housed in two buildings in Marina del Rey, California. NDS has developed over the years into a full-service production and visual effects studio unlike any in the world. NDS contributes to each project by using a diverse palette of artistic tools that range from the art department, workshop, production, to the digital department and DI suite. Creativity and solid management practices are the foundation upon which NDS has grown over the years and why all major studios continue to entrust NDS with high-profile projects such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Night At The Museum 2,” “Iron Man,” “Watchmen,” “Hancock,” “Whiteout” and “Batman: The Dark Knight.”
www.newdealstudios.com
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New Deal Studios’ VES award nominations include:
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture
THE DARK KNIGHT - Garbage Truck Crash Models and Miniatures
Ian Hunter – Visual Effects Supervisor
Forest Fischer – Model Crew Chief
Scott Beverly – Mechanical Effects Supervisor
Adam Gelbart – Lead Model Maker
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial
NEW BALANCE - Anthem
Ian Hunter – Visual Effects Supervisor
Jon Warren – Miniature Crew Chief
Matt Burlingame – Lead Model Maker
Raymond Moore – Lead Carpenter
The detailed work on the “Dark Knight” film came as Warner Bros. Studios entrusted NDS to build large scale miniatures of Chicago’s Lower Wacker Drive’s underground freeway along with computer controlled action miniatures of The Batmobile and The Joker’s Garbage Truck that culminate in a high speed chase and crash sequence.
Ian Hunter, Visual Effects Supervisor and Co-Founder of NDS, working closely with Director Christopher Nolan and Visual Effects Supervisor Nick Davis, designed and supervised the massive miniature sequence to produce stunning photorealistic effects. According to Hunter, “This was one of the most intricate and complex projects in the 13-year history of New Deal Studios. A New Deal crew of over 135 artists ranging from sculptors, carpenters, painters and mechanical effects technicians to cable camera operators, grips, electricians, and support crew all worked tirelessly over a six month period to design, build and shoot the effects.”
“The Dark Knight” was an ideal project for New Deal Studios, says Hunter. “These are the kinds of shots that we are known for and our favorite to work on because the illusion is seamless. We don’t want the audience to know there is an effect happening; we want the audience to be engrossed in the story.”
The New Balance commercial produced for BBDO by The Mill, “Anthem” is a memorable trip into the surreal. The growing love of running inspired a fantasy world of miniature buildings, bridges and streets transforming one runner’s dismal journey into a bright day.
NDS recreated an authentic feel of a New York tenement landscape by structuring the buildings to resemble the words “LOVE and HATE.” With crafted, intricate details each of the eight miniature buildings included genuine details of the brick textures to window shades, skylights and even the roof water towers. The commercial featured runners following a path of winding sloped roads through these buildings to reveal that each building was actually a letter to reveal the LOVE/HATE words.
About New Deal Studios:
New Deal Studios was founded in 1995 by Matthew Gratzner, Ian Hunter and Shannon Blake Gans, this artist owned and operated, independent company is housed in two buildings in Marina del Rey, California. NDS has developed over the years into a full-service production and visual effects studio unlike any in the world. NDS contributes to each project by using a diverse palette of artistic tools that range from the art department, workshop, production, to the digital department and DI suite. Creativity and solid management practices are the foundation upon which NDS has grown over the years and why all major studios continue to entrust NDS with high-profile projects such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Night At The Museum 2,” “Iron Man,” “Watchmen,” “Hancock,” “Whiteout” and “Batman: The Dark Knight.”
www.newdealstudios.com
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