Though he is one of the most successful comedians in history, Jerry Seinfeld still feels pressure to excel at everything he does. So, if he was going to do what he calls "one of those HP computer hand commercial things," Seinfeld was compelled to make an impressive showing.
With help from Eight VFX, director Joseph Kahn, and HP agency Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, "Jerry Seinfeld" does just that.
Like the previous HP spots to which Eight lent its talents - "Michel Gondry," "Vera Wang," and "Petra Nemcova" - "Jerry Seinfeld" features wall-to-wall effects.
The spot opens with Seinfeld (shown from the chin down, of course) at a table in something of a limbo setting, he produces an equalizer and a basketball stadium - tongue-in-cheek references to Jay-Z's HP spot appearance. He quickly changes course, landing in a NYC diner, with which he is strongly identified via his eponymous hit series. "We suggested setting
Jerry in the diner because of the association and to ground the spot in reality," notes Eight VFX Art Director Yann Mallard. "Other than the setting and Jerry himself, the commercial features no practical elements."
Seinfeld next produces a CG representation of the Big Apple, whose topography allows the spot to showcase the Vista Live Map. The cityscape morphs into Central Park, providing Seinfeld the opportunity to shamelessly promote Bee Movie.
Later in the spot, he cleverly cites Dreamworks' Jeffrey Katzenberg as the mastermind behind the plug.
The drawing created by Eight for the Bee Movie clip involved massive simulation, reports Mallard, who also utilized his drawing skills in the sequence where an email from Seinfeld's wife ushers in a presentation of her pop-up cookbook. "I love to draw, so in representing a character from the pop-up book, we proposed a drawing of the child versus live plates of an actor," he says.
Next, Seinfeld uses a handful of salt to form a baseball diamond - he explains that he uses an HP gadget to follow games - and the aforementioned Katzenberg reference appears in the form of a written reminder from the mogul to mention the flick twice. Seinfeld dutifully honors his commitment and wraps up the ad literally sticking HP with the check for lunch.
Noting the many transitions in the spot, Mallard credits the sound designer Ren Klyce with enhancing the animation of the flow of the piece. "His work pushed us to go even further with our animation," he points out. "It really helped our game."
According to Eight VFX Executive Producer Baptiste Andrieux, the process of designing and creating back-to-back effects such as these requires a clear vision of how to combine these elements with the story the subject is telling onscreen. The end result relies heavily on two things: mutual trust and preparation. "Yann breaks down the spot for the agency the week before we go into 3D," Andrieux says. "It's a very smooth process from start to finish, and in exchange for the trust and creative freedom the agency gives us, we give them a crystal clear idea of what we plan to do and what solutions we've devised."
Overall, Mallard notes, "the vibe between our team and the agency is very energetic; they don't want us to be shy or cautious, and as a result we feel very safe."
Client: HP (Hands)Spot Title: "Jerry Seinfeld"
Air Date: November 1, 2007
Agency: Goodby, Silverstein and Partners
Co-Chairman, Creative Director: Rich Silverstein
Partner, Creative Director: Steve Simpson
Group Creative Director: Mike McKay
Group Creative Director: Stephen Goldblatt
Copywriter: Paul Charney
Art Director: Stefan Copiz
Producer: Cathleen Kisich
Production Company: HSI
Director: Joseph Kahn
DP: Dan Ming
Line Producer: Jonathan Winter
Executive Producer: Michael McQuhae
Visual Effects: Eight VFX
Art Director: Yann Mallard
VFX EP: Baptiste Andrieux
VFX Producer: Marsi Frey
Senior Compositor: Stefan Gaillot
Compositors: Nicolas Cadorette-Vigneau, Amalia-Luyet McMahan, Joe Chiao
3D supervisor: Fred Hopp
3D artists: Vania Alban-Zapata, Rob Stauffer, Zach Tucker, Olek Lyzwanski, Mathias Jourdes, Chien-I Kao
Roto Artists: Marianne Magne, Eliza Penhall-Randall, Shelby Wong
Editorial Company: Cosmo Street
Editor: David Blackburn
Telecine Company: Bobine
Colorist: Jais
Sound Design Company: Mit Out Sound
Sound Designer: Ren Klyce
Audio Mix Company: POP Sound
Engineer: Peter Rincon
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