nailgun* Teams With HGTV For Trio of Vibrant New Show Packages

June 6, 2008 - PRLog -- Award-Winning Creative Company Creates Show Opens/Packages for Rate My Space, Green Home and Dream Home

NEW YORK, NY -- New York-based creative studio nailgun* (www.nailgun.tv) recently completed work on show packages for not one, but three home improvement shows for HGTV, the television network dedicated to all things home and garden. The trio of spots represent the continued growth of the relationship between the studio and the network, and are ample testament to the 3D animation and design talents of the nailgun* team. Faced with tight deadlines and even tighter running times for show opens, nailgun* came through with vibrant, colorful packages for Rate My Space, Green Home, and Dream Home 2008.

''We've been working with HGTV quite a lot lately,'' says Michael Waldron, Creative Director at nailgun*. ''We know the brand very well, and enjoy working with them. Giving us the opportunity to work on these three show packages at once showed a lot of trust.''

Rate My Space
At just ten seconds each, conveying something of each show's essence was the chief challenge facing the nailgun* team. The open for Rate My Space begins with bright yellow trunk and funky music beat. As the camera draws back, the lid of the trunk explodes open in a rush of bright yellow paint, floorboards, shelving, and other accessories. A yellow carpet emerges and unrolls across the floor, forming a path for show host Angelo Surmelis. Provided with greenscreen footage of the host walking and gesturing, nailgun* set about creating a 3D environment.

''It can be very challenging to convey the essence of show in just ten seconds,'' Waldron admits. ''Rate My Space actually grew out of an HGTV website with that name where people post pictures of their homes and ask for comments. For the show, Angelo and his team will show up with a trunk full of stuff and revamp the lowest rated homes. That is why we start with the trunk. We created the entire environment in 3D to conform to Angelo's movements. Getting the movement of the liquid right was also a big challenge''

Green Home
For Green Home, a show that will give away an environmentally sound and elegant house to a family, the open appears as a process of  becoming.' A verdant, painterly green countryside emerges as white birds fly through it. The camera flies over a lake, complete with rowboat, before descending on the circle of a patio umbrella. As the shot lands, the house begins to take shape around the patio, appearing briefly before giving way to the Green Home logo.

''Our biggest challenge was to create this open without the star of the show, which is the house,'' says Waldron. ''The house was still being built, so we had an artist's rendering of what it would look like. To tell this show's story, we needed to delve into the green lifestyle more; to present organic, natural textures without being too over-the-top or 'granola.' We wanted to ensure that the colors were natural and earthy and flowed through the piece. We created a number of 3D shading techniques and textures using Autodesk Maya. We shot some ink dropping into water to use as a weight texture, and created the trees and birds in a way that would look dimensional, but painterly. It was a lot of fun to work on.''

Dream Home
For the 2008 version of HGTV's popular 'event show,' HGTV gave a family a spectacular new home in Florida Keys. Marking the second time nailgun* created the show open for Dream Home, the company imbued the piece with a tropical vibe.

The open begins with a 3D animated underwater scene featuring angelfish and brightly colored flowers. As the camera draws back, a silhouetted palm tree appears in the background, with two Adirondack style beach chairs in the foreground. Drawing back further still, people on bicycles and a crane under a tree give a distinctive taste of the Keys all-year summer. The open closes on the Dream Home logo.

''There is a large print campaign accompanying this show, and many of our elements had to be created with that purpose in mind," says Waldron. We gave this open a mid-summer, nighttime sort of feel, highlighting the water and the vibrant colors''

About nailgun*
With a strong belief that great art derives from making creative choices and sticking to them, veteran graphic designer Michael Waldron and editor/animator Erik van der Wilden launched motion graphics house nailgun* (www.nailgun.tv) in 2003. Since then the BDA Gold award-winning creative shop has been pushing boundaries while exceeding client goals with standout work for top advertising agencies and broadcast networks. Their clients include such companies as HBO, HGTV, ESPN, National Geographic, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, Publicis and McCann-Erickson NY and Ogilvy & Mather.

Toolkit:
--Autodesk Maya
--Adobe After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop
--Next Limit RealFlow software

Web Resources:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/green_home/
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dream_home/
http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/

http://www.nailgun.tv/html/movie/dreamHome2008.html
http://www.nailgun.tv/download/rightword/ratemyspace-4x3.mov
http://www.nailgun.tv/download/rightword/HGTV-GreenHome.mov

Creative Credits:
Client: HGTV
Projects: 'Rate My Space,' 'DreamHome 2008,' 'GreenHome' show opens/packaging

Design/Production: nailgun*, New York
Creative Director: Michael Waldron
Director of Animation + Editorial: Erik van der Wilden
Managing Director/Executive Producer: Elena Olivares

Website: www.rightwordmedia.com