The promo begins with Johnny emerging from a Faberge egg and launching into his performance within the halls of Versailles as snow falls. Weir continues his signature saucy act as the scene shifts to snowbound forests with frozen streams, then to lakes, and finally into an ever-brightening luminescent "Sun King" room where the phenomenon skates to the camera and blows his adoring public a cheeky kiss. Weir - decked out in his customary assortment of ostentatious costumes, ranging from Lycra diamond-studded tights and stilettos to fur capes to Weir-designed classic onesies - stands out against the dazzling Absolute-produced backdrops with the fierce energy and attitude that defines him on the ice. The mix of glamour and lightheartedness perfectly expresses Rolston's vision of a tongue-in-cheek personification of Weir.
Rolston shot Weir on green screen, working closely with Absolute's Head of CG Minh Nguyen-BA and the Blind Pig design team to ensure that his movements would later sync with the backgrounds. Absolute created these separate environments as completely CG spaces and digital mattes, which presented lead Flame artist Josh Laurence and his team with a number of challenges. The opening hall of chandeliers was a huge task, with layers of detail and texture required to realize the vision spelled out in Rolston's intricate references.
Via Trust Collective | http://www.trustcollective.com/portfolio/content/absolute_johnnyweir.php#ixzz0gx3bePM1
Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike
Credits:
Client: Sundance Channel
Spots Title: Be Good Johnny Weir
Air Date: January 2010
Agency: Sundance Channel
Agency Producer(s): Shari Weisenberg, JC Cancedda, Mark Williams
Prod Company: @radical.media
Director: Matthew Rolston
EP: Jim Bouvet
Editorial: Cut & Run NYC
Editor: Tina Mintus
Assistant Editor: Adam Bazadona
Producer: Ashley Carrier
Post/Effects: Absolute NY
EP: Sally Heath
Lead Flame Artist: Josh Laurence
Flame Ops: Dirk Greene, Krispy Cornwell, Nathan Kane, Daniel Morris
Lead CG Artist: Minh Nguyen-BA
CG Ops: Andrew Harper, Sheri Wong, Keith Kamholz
Combustion: Warren Paleos, Krissy Nordella,
Digital Mattes: Ross Goldstein, Jasper Kidd, Ric Comline, Christian Kugler
