DALLAS - Guardian angels watch over vehicles in the latest spot for Pennzoil via Publicis Sanchez & Levitan with Dallas-based Janimation (www.janimation.com) creating previs and the ethereal effects.
Directed by Andrews Jenkins of Food Chain Films, "Guardians in the Alcove" opens on a father and child getting in their car in the garage. In the garage's alcove, a pair of angles rise as the car is started and swoop down, protectively watching out for the car as it travels down the street and onto the highway where the morning rush hour traffic is full of angels hovering over individual vehicles.
On set, Janimation's Steve Gaconnier and Lyn Caudle supervised the shoot and Greg Punchatz, worked with the incoming footage, using Softimage|XSI to make certain that the live action and effects would work together. For the sequences in which the angels fly over the vehicles, the production suspended the live-action talent with rigging over the cars.
In post, Janimation handled editorial, digital matte paintings, type design, rig removal, digital characters and heavy compositing.
Janimation is working on a second spot in the campaign titled "Tunnel."