SUPER BOWL: FRAMESTORE CREATES 'CARRIER PIGEONS' FOR FED EX
In it, hundreds of pigeons have been equipped with GPS and night-vision
sensors, allowing them to carry documents far and wide. And for the
“big stuff,” giant pigeons have been developed. Only after a large box
is dropped on a car and a giant feather causes a bus to crash does the
boss say they are going to use Fed Ex.
The spot was directed by Tom Kuntz of MJZ for ad agency BBDO and
combines live-action, greenscreen and photorealistic 3D animation.
Framestore's biggest challenge was creating the enormous birds. In
addition to creating realistic models, it was also important to animate
the correct weight and wing flap for a 12-foot bird, all while
maintaining the characteristics of real pigeon behavior.
The spot’s climax, with crashing crates and hoisted cars, involved a
three-day shoot. Framestore NY used Autodesk Flame and Maya, as well as
Side Effects Houdini and Mental Ray to complete the job.