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I wanted to share with you all three of my favorite studios around right now. Not to say that they’re my “top three”, just that they’re three that I really enjoy and thought I’d share the love with you guys. However, I will say that one studio in my brief list of three is very near and dear to my heart. So lets start there.

Royale

Let me introduce those of you who don’t know to the wonderful LA studio known as Royale. Know it or not, I’m sure you’ve seen their work before whether watching Comedy Central’s roast of David Hasselhoff or any other channel trying to tell you to take a flight on Jet Blue or even watching the Discovery Channel. The reason I say this studio is near and dear to my heart is because one of the partners is a Mr. J Whitmore–a graduate of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida; my alma mater. Now, it’s not simply a “OMG! He went to the same college as me!” type thing. Alongside Brien Holman and Jennifer Lucero, he has created a studio that has put out work that I continue to be blown away by. I’m not saying that they’re out there doing what no studio has ever done or can do. Just that in my humble opinion I think they’re doing all the right things without overdoing any one particular thing. I would absolutely call a job at Royale a dream (hint hint…). Take a look at their reel and make a decision for yourself. [view their reel below] If you dig their stuff make sure you follow them on Twitter. They also post great behind the scenes footage and updates on meet-ups on their Facebook page.

King and Country

You may have heard of King and Country before. I wasn’t too familiar with their work until they put the Believe campaign together for US Cellular. Something about how well the projection mapping was done and how well their assets were integrated into the photo to further sell the 3D of it all really blew me away. If you have been following me and my work with Keyframe, you’d know that we covered this piece and actually got to talk with the great dudes over at K&C about how they put it together and show off some of their process. After being introduced to their work I have fallen in love with a number of their pieces like the promo for Top Shot on the History Channel to the fantastic composite work in the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives promo for the Food Network. You could spent a pretty good amount of time going through their site and looking at all their work, but to sum it up check out their most recent reel. Then form your own opinion on it, don’t be a robot.
If you would like to keep up with updates and see some super secret behind closed doors type stuff make sure to like them on Facebook and enjoy.

Psyop

Now, of course I couldn’t make an “I love” list without mentioning one of the big brothers of animation and VFX. Their pedigree of talent and the amount of over the top insane and brilliant work is too vast and long to even know where to start talking about these guys. So, I won’t even bother. Simply go to their site and watch one piece after the other. I swear, each piece is out of hand brilliant. Though, if I was being forced to point out one specific work they’ve done it would have to be Something Lurking for LG. You can check that piece out here. After watching it, all I could think to myself was, “This was for a vacuum…? Really?! A friggin vacuum?!”. If you don’t have the time to go through each and every piece they’ve ever made, and you should really make time, then go check out their reel page and watch the few pieces they’ve got featured.
I’m not going to ask the question if you want to follow these dudes, believe me, you do! Here is their Twitter, and their Facebook. Go and absorb their brilliance.

Honorable Mention:
Stardust
The Mill
Shilo

That’s it for this article everyone. If you’d like to hear more of my opinions on why I chose to feature these three studios, please feel free to ask me to expand. I’ve got a ton to say and thought seeing me write a thousand word essay on each might be a little much. Also, if you’ve got a favorite studio that I didn’t mention please post the name in the comments. I’d love to go check them out. Thanks for paying attention, or at least reading this last sentence.

Be good.
Timmy.

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Coming to us all the way from Germany is Marcus Eckert’s 2011 Demo Reel. Featuring a beautiful blend of 3d and 2d animation mixed with a pinch of live action film and set to the beat of a wonderful song, Marcus manages to inspire and amaze while keeping you glued to his video–exactly what you want from a reel.

If you have a reel or another piece of work you would like featured on Fuel Your Motionography, send us an email with a link to said work and any contact information you would like included in the article.
Check out the rest of the Feature Friday articles here.

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A very ambitious Motion Graphics student at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, Handal Eugene is someone you will want to keep on your radar! He has recently put out his 2011 reel showcasing his work throughout the year, and there are some very impressive visuals to feast your eyes on. I say he’s ambitious because, in his own words, “I do a little bit of everything media related but by the time I graduate I want to be able to say I can do almost anything. I have experience in motion graphics, photography, graphic design, video editing, & web design.”

If you would like to see more of his work, check out his Vimeo page or head on over to his website to see stills and more videos.

If you have a reel or another piece of work you would like featured on Fuel Your Motionography, send us an email with a link to said work and any contact information you would like included in the article. Check out the rest of the Feature Friday articles here.

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As we draw closer to the end of this year, I reflect on all the amazing works I’ve seen from creative professionals in the motion graphics industry. In this post I’ll be touching on a curated list of what I consider to be some of the most progressive, forward thinking, and well executed work from the motion graphics industry leading professionals. I’ll also be touching on progressive techniques that had a major impact on the motion graphics industry for 2009, as well as progressive digital & tangible tools that have helped, or changed the way motion graphics are produced.

Curated Motion Graphics Work

Starting off, I tried to consolidate a list of innovative & inspiring motion graphics work. It definitely wasn’t an easy task to try and pick any one piece over another, especially since everyone has a different opinion over what they would consider to be amazing. With that in mind, I’ve tried to balance my selection objectively, based on progression, forward thinking, originality, and execution. I hope you enjoy my selection, and continue to support Fuel Your Motionography well into the new year. Enjoy!

Prologue – OFFF 2009 Main Titles

OFFF 2009 Main Titles from Prologue! from OFFF on Vimeo.

Wow – Infinity

Infinity by: Wow from Colorcubic on Vimeo.

Esteban Diácono – Let Yourself Feel

let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.

Christopher Hewitt – Contraction

Contraction from Christopher Hewitt on Vimeo.

Sooz / Kultnation – All That Is Solid Melts Into The Air

All that is solid melts into the air. from Sooz on Vimeo.

Onesize – OFFF 2009 Sponsor Titles

OFFF 2009 Sponsor Titles from OFFF on Vimeo.

Rob Chiu – Else Mobile

Else Mobile (The Time Has Come) from Rob Chiu on Vimeo.

Alex Roman – T & S Teaser 2

T&S Teaser2 from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

BranitVFX – World Builder

World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

Tilt Shift Effect

If I had to say any certain technique had a major impact on the motion graphics industry this year, I would have to go with the tilt shift effect. The tilt shift effect is what ultimately gives real life footage, or more specifically, stop motion footage the illusion of smallness, or small windup toys. And what better way to convey this effect then through one of the industry’s pioneers of this technique, Mr. Keith Loutit [see below].

Keith Loutit – Bathtub IV

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Digital SLRs with HD Video

Ringing in at number three on my list of best contributions to the motion graphics industry in 2009 is Canon, and their Digital SLRs with HD Video capability. A lot of people still don’t realize, the moment Canon introduced the 5DmkII, it completely revolutionized how creative professionals in the mograph industry would produce work in the future. Not only are these dSLR cameras built very well, they’re also relatively affordable, all while shooting in HD video. Although, the real highlight of these dSLRs is the option to change out the lenses, at a fraction of the cost of a normal HD video camera. So you get all the power of Canon lenses (specifically Canon’s L series lenses), with the beauty of HD video. What more could you ask for?

Canon Rebel T1i

Canon 7D

Canon 5D mkII

Florent Porta – Tokyo Reality (Canon 5DmkII at work)

Tokyo Reality (Canon 5D MarkII) from Florent Porta on Vimeo.

Inksie Brand – 7D test film (Canon 7D at work)

7D Test Film from Inksie Brand on Vimeo.

Wesley Kandel – Palladia (Canon Rebel T1i at work)

Palladia from Wesley Kandel on Vimeo.

WANT MORE?

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Each month at FYM, we’ll be featuring various themes for our Curated series, work culled from collections of the best films, motion graphics, and documentaries to more focused pieces on influential individuals and studios. I’m excited to kick off this series with a set of motion reels that really caught my attention.

GKASTER REEL | 2009

GKaster is a motion design studio located in France, and was founded by partners Pierre Magnol and Pierre Fabre. GKaster displays an impressive and prolific portfolio, including client work from Apple, LG, MediaTemple, Renault, and Nissan, to name just a few. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Pierre Magnol recently, and will be posting the interview later in the week. The reel is a stunning and elegant example of their accomplishments, and GKaster remains among my favourite motion studios.

TOCH STUDIO | 2009

Little is known about the young Toch Studio except that their work is rock star smashing. The studio was founded by designer and motionographer Tavo Ponce and is based out of Madrid, Spain. With clients like MTV, VH1, and Diesel, their futuristic-retro stylings are certainly befitting for the trends.

CHEZEDDY REEL | 2009

ChezEddy is a fun and playful motion and animation studio located in Paris, France, founded by Jean-Francois Bourrel and Jerome Calvet. GKaster and many other talented directors are represented by ChezEddy, who work with marquee clients such as Nike, McDonalds, Bic, and Kelloggs.

COLERAN REEL | 2008

Coleran’s work simply blows me away. Before I even knew about him, I knew about his work. He’s crafted detailed and technical interface designs for movies such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Tomb Raider, The Island, and Mission Impossible 3. For some, his work may be easily taken for granted as it sporadically appears within a movie, but it’s absolutely essential and important nonetheless. Coleran, who currently resides in Ottawa, Canada is also currently working for the software company Gridiron Software designing the UX and UI for Flow, a visual workflow manager. It’s quite possible for me to write an entire essay just on Coleran and his work, but I’ll let his reel speak for itself.

ROKKABOY REEL | 2009

Rokkaboy’s introduction stood out to me among the reels; it was both unexpected (after watching too many reels to count) and a pleasure to watch. Robert Kaniszewski, the brilliant boy behind Rokkaboy, is a designer and motionographer who has been working out of Poland since 2003. Notable clients include Coca-Cola, Bacardi, Volvo, and Nokia.

STATE OF TOMORROW REEL | 2008

What I enjoy about State of Tomorrow is their textural and organic approach to motion design; a nice juxtaposition to the other more glossy and VFX-ed works featured. Interestingly enough, they are the only studio in the list that’s based in the United States; West Hollywood to be precise. Heavily involved in design for retail, such as window displays, store design, product design, packaging and collateral, they certainly have highlighted that in their reel.