Unbranded, already a multi-award winning spot for agency Lipman Hearne and the University of Texas at Arlington, has just won another gong. This time a Silver Telly Award in the “Non-Traditional” category.  While we’re not too sure exactly what that category is, given the maverick quality of the spot and it’s Unbranded attitude, we think that’s very fitting.

So, it’s all smiles here on the west coast at Little Fluffy Clouds and on the east coast, at Rhino FX, and down south at the University of Texas, Arlington. See this larger than life commercial play at the Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium on the 17 story high Mitsubishi jumbotron – the largest TV screen in the world – and prepare to be WOWED by the accompanying stadium ribbons that wrap around the stadium while you watch your team play.

Unbranded and non-traditional – a winner in every sense of the word. Yes, Ma’am!

Made for Rhino FX, directed by Harry Dorrington with LFC’s creative director, Jerry van de Beek, as designer, VFX supervisor, animation director and sole animator. Music on this version was scored by Jay Green at Big Science Music.

Everything in Texas is big. Some say there ain’t nothing so big as the 17 story high, giant Mitsubishi TV screen that dominates the field of the Dallas Cowboys stadium where, Unbranded, plays to thousands of spectators at every game.

Now an award winning spot for Lipman Hearne and the University of Texas at Arlington, Unbranded is fun, colorful and jam packed with many different characters in many interesting situations. It brings to life in a very fun and immensely colorful way all the best programs that UTA has to offer and moves along at a really fast clip.

The Unbranded campaign is really a series of spots made both for broadcast and for multiple sized stadium screens ranging from the 17 story high Mitsubishi jumbotron – the largest TV screen in the world –  to vertical HDTV screens situated in the public areas.  Two accompanying :60 second “ribbons” circumnavigate the stadium in a continuously tiled loop. The ribbons use some assets from the ads but each has their own unique look and feel generating excitement as the best of stadium graphics do. Obviously seen at their best in situ at the Dallas Cowboys new football stadium, the spots themselves are easy to put on the website and reel but we still haven’t figured out a way to show the enormity of them plus the razmataz and “WOW” factor of the way everything looks in place. In a word – dazzling!

Both the :30 and :15 second commercials are airing regionally in the south and showing in rotation for the next two seasons at The Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Unbranded is one spot that might just blindside you.  Made for Rhino FX, directed by Harry Dorrington with LFC’s creative director, Jerry van de Beek, as designer, VFX supervisor, animation director and sole animator. Music on this version was scored by Jay Green at Big Science Music.

I like reading blogs as much as writing one myself. In fact I often neglect mine in favour of reading others. So, imagine how great it felt when I checked in on fellow Brit, Ian Lumsden’s, intricate animation blog and found our piece, TODAY, there – In Praise of Barack Obama. Here’s an excerpt from what Ian had to say.

“It seems appropriate on a grey day here when such little light as exists is cast by events across the Atlantic. The words resonate with hope and the CGI piece is beautifully crafted by the design team, co-founders Jerry van de Beek and Betsy deFries. Quintessentially American rural landscape on a perfect Spring day, butterflies, canary let out of its cage, splinters of light, flowers and a young couple squinting in the bright sunlight: the piece unfolds and matches the rich voice of the narrator and lyrical beauty of the poem. Lovely and uplifting.”

Thanks Ian for discovering our work and pairing us with this breathtaking moment in history.

Check out Ian Lumsden’s wonderful blog and even more wonderfully animated films at: http://www.animationblog.org/

The studio’s short, TODAY, commissioned by Sundance for their Billy Collins Action Poetry series, has won a silver 2007 Creativity Award in the Consumer TV category. With more than 2700 entries from 37 countries, judges declared that:

“The winning entries stand out because of their ambition, strong communication, and excellent design.”

The 400-page Creativity Awards Annual, a veritable bible of excellent design, is published by Harper and Collins and will be available in 2008.

The Sundance Channel promotional film, commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

For more info see: www.creativityawards.com

The San Francisco Film Society describes animation as being:

“Currently one of the most fertile, creative and productive forms in cinema and television… animation occupies a unique point between artistic, experimental, commercial and industrial media, ranging from the latest visual FX-based arthouse films to family-friendly cartoons.”

Such is the clarion call to join them, and us, in a lively and surprising animation celebration screening at San Francisco’s Landmark Theater.

TODAY, a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

Little Fluffy Clouds Sundance short, TODAY, screens on Saturday, November 10th at 4.30pm as part of the festival’s, Makers Dozen. This lively festival runs from Nov. 8 – Nov. 11, 2007 at The Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco. See www.sffs.org for details.

Little Fluffy Clouds Sundance studio short, TODAY, is one of the innovative pieces showing at, The Art of Digital Show, a unique international exhibition featuring all forms of digital art. The public is invited to the Opening Reception Gala and Awards Ceremony on October 6th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lyceum Theater Gallery, in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. The Art of Digital Show runs from October 6 to November 11, 2007.

Neal Benezra, director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), fielded 104 pieces to be exhibited from 2796 entries submitted by artists representing 40 countries. Mr. Benezra selected works which embody imagination, original vision, sophistication, message, content, creativity and technical skill. The show includes 83 fine art pieces, 18 video art pieces, a 3D modeled sculpture, a digitally designed textile piece, and an amazing interactive piece – all of which create a distinct exhibition environment.

“Digital artists are pushing the boundaries and more directly expressing what is in their imagination than in any other art medium.  Our great love of this art form drives us to create a truly excellent presentation of digital art from around the world. Our goal is to elevate and promote digital art and to provide substantial benefits to the exhibiting artists.” ~ Steven Churchill, curator and founder of the event.

An estimated 1500 people, including most of the exhibiting artists, will attend the Opening Gala, and 20,000 people are expected to view The Art of Digital Show during the five-week run. A free 72-page show catalog will be available during the exhibit, featuring all of the selected images.

TODAY, is a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with ad agency, JWT NYC, as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series. It was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds’ creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

See: http://www.artofdigitalshow.com for details.

The Coyote Film Festival is Lake County, California’s “only voice for independent film”. This small festival-that-could, shows main features, short films, and animations, one weekend a month from June through September.

Enjoy a unique cultural experience under the stars at the beautiful Langtry Estate and Vineyards, once the home of the renowned Guenoc Winery. Lake County is approximately 2 hours north east of San Francisco, home of the Mayacama mountain range, abundant natural hot springs, bountiful wineries and rocking music festivals.

TODAY, a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds’ creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece. It screens in rotation nightly throughout the festival.

See: www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org.

Translated from the Portuguese and literally meaning, Soul of the World, Anima Mundi, is South America’s largest and most vibrant international animation festival. For 15 years the truly wonderful organizers of this popular event have brought cartoons and animations, that appeal to both adults and children alike, to the screens of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

More than just a festival, Anima Mundi, is a truly unique event that attracts over 100,000 people to see the best of films and videos from around the world. Anima Mundi offers courses throughout the year, with free animation workshops, lectures, special exhibitions and an internet-based competition during the run of the festival.

TODAY, a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with JWT/NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

Anima Mundi 2007 runs from June 29 – July 8 in Rio de Janiero and July 11-15 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  See: www.animamundi.com

Who says web banners can’t be fun and innovative? In the fastest growing sector of advertising a creative way is found to deliver IBM’s message in seeking – What Makes You Special? More than that this is the story of a web banner that was so good it began a multi-platform ad campaign reaching from the web to broadcast and print and even to the cinema screen.  Almost like a mini cult film, the three spots, Alignment, Flexibility, and Leveraging, took on a life of their own showing in festivals around the world including the SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival and Dolby’s first ever, stereoscopic 3D Spring Festival.

This initial spot shows how, in the dimensional space of an organic free-flowing inkblot, a narrative is told of a company situated in many parts of the world but tightly connected at the core. Using soft, muted tones and playing freely with the movement of patterns, a rush of ink and a sweeping camera – people, ideas, jobs and more are revealed in a global inter-connected dance.

Animated in Illustrator, After Effects, Flash and Maya, along with hand-drawn illustrations,  Alignment, is a lyrical and dreamy tour de force made for Ogilvy Interactive and set to an original and intricate sound design and score by the incomparable, Trivers Myers Music LA.

See: www.ogilvy.com
See:www.triversmyersmusic.com

Famous as one of the most beautiful locations in all of France, and home of the most prestigious of all European film festivals, Annecy Festival 2007, has selected Little Fluffy Clouds – TODAY – for competition.

The Sundance Channel promotional film, commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds’ creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. TODAY was chosen from among almost 2000 films entered from 63 participating countries.

The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece. TODAY appears in official competition with 19 other advertising or promotional films. In total 225 films will be shown at this week long MIFA and festival on the lake, running June 11 – 15, 2007.

See: http://www.annecy.org/