LA Based BUCK Create Graphic Drug Rush For Oxfam's 'Good Books'

Buck Creates Homage to Hunter S. Thompson In First Video From the 'Great Writers' Series

 

The Great Writers Series for Good Books premieres with the first promotional video entitled “Metamorphosis”, created by Buck: http://www.buck.tv/goodbooks.

 

String Theory, a New Zealand-based agency, commissioned Buck to produce and direct a video for Good Books, the first in their Great Writers Series. This project was appealing to Buck on two levels:

(1) The goal of the project was to promote a very good cause. Every time a purchase is made from Good Books (www.usegoodbooks.com), all the profit goes directly to fund projects in partnership with Oxfam, and (2) Buck would have full creative license. Disclaimer: What you will see is an entirely fictional and completely unendorsed representation, though we humbly suggest Hunter S Thompson might have liked it. We are devoted fans paying homage. No disrespect is intended.

 

For this charitable endeavor, Buck contributed all of their time and expertise to the project - a true labour of love. Buck partnered with Brooklyn, New York-based Antfood to produce the music and sound effects, and VO artist Thor Erickson, who also contributed 100% of their efforts in support of the project as well.

 

The creative goal for the video was to create a relentless visual onslaught (the graphic equivalent of a drug-fueled rant) using every tool available (2D, cel, programming, compositing) that would, like Thompson’s prose, somehow seamlessly hold together to tell the story of why the Duke concluded he needed to buy Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” from Good Books. Work began by blocking out the script into specific scenes and then working out the most interesting transitions between them.

 

“Wanting each scene to flow into the next, we gave it an almost psychedelic feeling as a nod to the legacy of Hunter S. Thompson. The project took around five months to create and the sheer amount of cel animation in this complex style was probably the largest hurdle,” said Buck Executive Creative Director, Ryan Honey. Elements of CG, cel and stop motion textures were composited together to get the final look, using Maya, Flash and After Effects. The end result is a unique visual style and visceral narrative created to raise awareness for a brand that aims to do good in the world.

To see the work, click here: http://bit.ly/FRQmFF

 

Concept by String Theory

Directed by Buck

Creative Director: Ryan Honey

Executive Producer: Maurie Enochson

Producers: Nick Terzich, Alyssa Evans, Emily Rickard

Coordinator: Ben Tucker

Associate Creative Director: Joshua Harvey

CG Supervisor: Doug Wilkinson

Animation Director: Steve Day

Art Director: Joe Mullen

Designers: Joshua Harvey, Joe Mullen, George Fuentes, Trevor Conrad, Jenny Ko, Jon Gorman

2D Animators: Joe Mullen, Harry Teitelman, John MacFarlane, Jamal Otolorin, Joshua Harvey, William Trebutien, Matt Everton, Taik Lee, Tristan Balos, Regis Camargo, Kendra Ryan, George Fuentes, Trevor Conrad, Jahmad Rollins, Matthew Wade

3D Artists: Jens Lindgren, Timm Wagener, Kai Wang, Joao Rema, Albert Omoss, Joshua Harvey, Christine Li, Kelsey Charlton, Ana Luisa Santos

Compositors: Nick Forshee, Alex Perry, Joshua Harvey, Joe Mullen, Moses Journey, Matt Lavoy, Jenny Ko, Helen Hsu, Elizabeth Steinberg, Adam Smith

 

Music and Sound Design: Antfood

Voiceover Artist: Thor Erickson

 

Software: Flash, After Effects, Maya