COOLFIRE MEDIA RESURRECTS DINOSAURS FOR ST. LOUIS ZOO

Click here to view the "Making of" video.

Conceived by advertising agency Ad Savants, the spot has the feel of a monster-movie from the 1960s, with the giants roaming throughout an urban landscape, all to the astonishment of human onlookers.

According to producer/director, David Johnson, the project faced a tight deadline. Coolfire won the bid in early March, but the dinosaurs, constructed in McKinney, TX, would not arrive in St. Louis until April 1st.  Since the spot had to begin airing by the time the exhibit opened on April 18th, the production would be a challenge.

The solution was to take a small crew to Texas to shoot the dinosaurs at the Billings Productions facility. Employing local crew and equipment from MPS Studios, Johnson used 20x40-foot green- and blue screens to shoot the dinosaurs in high definition, keeping detailed notes on the exact camera height and angle of each shot. 

Background plates were shot in St. Louis for editor Kevin Johnson to composite with the dinosaur footage. All footage was acquired using Sony's HDW-F900 CineAlta camera, equipped with 35mm prime lenses.

The team studied classic Godzilla movies for tips on lighting and type treatment. Avid DS Nitris was used for all editing, compositing and color correction. 3D elements were created using Autodesk 3DS Max. After Effects, Sapphire and Tinder were also used for effects. Since the spot was to be delivered for SD broadcast, the extra resolution allowed for camera movement.

Digidesign Pro Tools was used to post the audio for the spot.