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Steele FX, the leading post-production, visual effects and finishing studio based in Santa Monica, recently applied its renowned image beautification skills to two commercials for Japanese television featuring Brad Pitt.
The spots, ?Surveillance? and ?Picture,? were produced by Shuffle LA and directed by Steven Klein. Their cinema verité style and rapid editing by Shuffle?s Yuki Matsumoto give them an edginess that?s highly appealing to youthful consumers. STEELE used its Quantel iQ system to give the commercials a final polish and subtle allure.
?We enhanced the look of both spots,? says Jerry Steele, Senior Creative Director, Visual Effects Supervisor and co-owner of STEELE FX. ?Each one is like a slice-of-life style statement and had to be absolutely pristine. We did some light work on Brad, maintaining his ruggedness, and did color correction and clean-up work on the jeans and backgrounds.
?There?s not a lot of activity in either spot,? he continues. ?They?re observations of style and very nicely put together. We made sure that the images were even and consistent, and the lighting was appropriately dramatic.?
Steele adds that STEELE?s work on the jeans included not only color correction?making sure that different colors like royal blue and navy were clearly identifiable?but also touch-up work like fixing the look of the pockets and the stitching design, enhancing the texture and taking out creases.
?Much of the work that we do is hidden and blends seamlessly into the imagery,? says Steele. ?You don?t see it, and that?s the whole point. Our work is often invisible, or consists of subtle differences, but it causes the images to be perceived in a very different way so that the message of the spot connects better with the viewer.?
Most of the work was done on STEELE?s Quantel iQ system?which is equipped with Pablo color correction. ?The iQ really excels at beauty work and at such tasks as facial tracking,? says Steele. STEELE also did the graphics, titling, and several different versions of each spot.
The commercials were shot on film but ultimately delivered in standard-def. ?iQ kept all the data native at 24P all the time,? Steele adds. ?Changing the output is as simple as pushing a button, whereas on other systems you have such complications as allocating drive space. The Quantel iQ 4K is perfect for the kinds of projects we do.?
Many of these projects are, in fact, delivered on high-def or even higher resolution. ?We easily convert to whatever frame rate and format is required,? says Steele.
STEELE?s work on the Edwin Jeans commercials is just one example of the boutique?s extraordinary capabilities in this arena. Other top advertising clients for which STEELE has done its famous beauty work include a commercial for DirecTV starring Beyoncé, a spot for Japan?s Brillia Mare Ariake real estate firm featuring Madonna, and ads for Italy?s Dolce & Gabbana luxury goods brand.
?We?re known around the world for image-and-beauty work for high-profile clients,? says Jo Steele, CEO, CFO and Senior Executive Producer at STEELE FX. ?We have a global reputation for enhancing images and making them look stunning.?
About STEELE FX
STEELE, established in 1996, is a creatively driven award-winning digital studio providing visual effects, animation, graphics, titles, supervision and design services for commercials, music videos, broadcast graphics, television and film. Committed to high creative standards and responsive service, STEELE capitalizes on the company?s many years of post production experience to finish all projects in exceptional quality for an international audience. To date, STEELE has overseen the post production finishing and visual effects on more than 900 Projects. In the past 6 months we have completed projects for Pier 1 (11 spots), Nike, Madonna?s World Tour open and NBC Special, Time Warner, Logitech, NFL, Jack in the Box, ParadisePoker.com, Wal Mart Pharmacy, Jay Z, Ludacris, and now a new science fiction Network Series for Rob Minkoff.
For more information, visit www.steelevfx.com
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