Case Studies
Wowow (Framestore/ Wakyo)
Wowow, Japan’s largest satellite TV channel, returned to VFX studio Framestore Design for the third year in a row for a series of station and genre idents, and this time they wanted a completely new look. The genre idents are 5-second visual devices intended to indicate one of eight different genres of programming: Animation, Drama, Movie, Music, Special, Sports, Stage and Extra. The word for each genre appears in Japanese characters, with the letters forming themselves as three dimensional liquid brushstrokes – a sort of digital calligraphy. Determined to honour the art of calligraphy – much prized in Japan – Framestore tried to replicate even the order in which the brushstrokes would occur on paper.
RealFlow and Houdini were used to create an adjustable liquid system that splashes into invisible containers, dynamically forming the letters. Next Limit had a quick chat with Framestore to find out what went on behind the scenes.
About the use of RealFlow in the commercial
NL: Framestore worked together with Japanese production company Wakyo on a commercial for Japanese TV station Wowow. What was the working relationship between Framestore and Wakyo?.
Simon Whalley: “Framestore has a very strong relationship with Wakyo, having worked closely with Mick Nakamura for a number of years. With them being in Japan, good communication and feedback were essential. The work was delivered for approval via front, Framestore CFC's proprietary online suite of production tools. This allowed the Design team to create and upload full-resolution Quicktimes of drafts and finished work onto front at the end of the UK working day. The time difference in Tokyo made it possible for the Wowow clients to view the work-in-progress and comment on it, in time for the start of the next working day. This made for an exceptionally efficient workflow. There is much trust between the two companies, and consequently whenever we collaborate, the outcome is always good.”
NL: Framestore used RealFlow on some impressive fluid simulations for the commercial. What was RealFlow used on exactly?
SW: “RealFlow was used purely for simulating the fluid which creates the strokes of typography in the commercial.”
NL: Why did Framestore decide on using RealFlow?
SW: “We have used RealFlow in the past with some great results, and are always looking for opportunities to attempt more challenging and detailed projects with RealFlow.”
NL: What was the most challenging part of the project and how did you overcome that challenge?
SW: “The biggest challenge was realizing all the simulation work in a short period of time. This was achieved through meticulous planning and by optimizing our workflow. Once a system was working, we could then push all the different forms of font through that same pipeline with only minor adjustments to suit the look and feel of each font.”
NL: What kind of time schedule were you on for the creation of this ad? Was it a tight deadline or did you have enough time to finish all the simulations without stress?
SW: “The schedule for this was just right! Although it was hard work to get it all done in time, we still had enough time, and the process was smooth.”
NL: What kind of time schedule were you on for the creation of this ad? Was it a tight deadline or did you have enough time to finish all the simulations without stress?
SW: “The schedule for this was just right! Although it was hard work to get it all done in time, we still had enough time, and the process was smooth.”
NL: You used RealFlow in combination with Houdini to create the liquid simulations in the ad. How did you find the integration between the two programs?
SW: “The integration was relatively smooth, since we were only using static 'tanks' for the fluid to run through. There was a little modelling preparation time in Houdini for each font before loading the models into RealFlow.”
NL: Framestore has been a RealFlow client since 1999. How do you think RealFlow has evolved over the years?
SW: “Stability has increased, but the auto-backup feature is still a saviour!”
NL: How do you think RealFlow could be further improved or what would you still like to see implemented into the program?
SW: “It produces great simulations with relative ease. I think the area to look at improving is the interface and interaction with the software. It seems there are many areas of the interface that could learn from other industry standard 3D packages. A lot of tasks in RealFlow are quite manual, this could be improved on.”
NL: Could you please detail what other software programs you used and what hardware you used?
SW: “We used a Dual Processor Dual Core Intel Xeon 1.6Ghz with 4Gb RAM, and, as mentioned before, Houdini.”
About Framestore
NL: How big was the team working on this advertisement?
SW: “We were three people: Director/ Designer Adam Parry, CG Artist David Mellor and me as Producer.”
NL: Could you tell us a bit more about Framestore?
SW: “Framestore CFC is the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe, with over 20 years of experience in digital film and video technology. The company has won numerous international awards including two Technical Academy Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, three BAFTA Craft Awards and thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards.”
NL: Do you plan to use RealFlow on any future projects?
SW: “We are currently using RealFlow4 for an upcoming Bacardi Commercial. Only on some small parts though!”
Many thanks to Simon Whalley
Copyright:
Framestore Design / www.framestore-cfc.com
Wakyo Productions UK / /www.wakyo.jp
Studio credits are as follows:
Simon Whalley – Producer
Adam Parry – Director/ Designer
David Mellor – CG Artist
Mick Nakamura – CG Artist
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