VFX titans Digital Domain have launched a new site chock full of amazing work. One that leaped out at me was this interesting spot for the Learning Skills Council.

I’m drawn to this one for two reasons: 1) The fluid animation (yes, animation) of the hands, and 2) the clever transitions from scene to scene. The sustained level of creativity on display is so nice, in fact, that the dull sequence in which papers are handed back and forth is a real downer. Thankfully, the subsequent field of tulips scene helps us move on.

As for Digital Domain’s new site, so far I’ve spent most of my time in the Commercials area, but I like what I see. The work is up front and easy to access. (I’m not sure I understand the iPhone-ish buttons, though.) My only complaint is that there are no direct links to the project pages.

Thanks to Sofus Graae for the tip.

I’ve gotten a few emails about the new “Sprint Ahead” campaign, but I’ve been a little slow to post it (for reasons I’ll explain later). There are two “anthem” spots in the series that use the same concept as their foundation, just with varying degrees of production value. “Dreams” is all in-camera, giving it the low-fi indie look appropriate for Sprint’s consumer market, while “Charts” sports some high-end CG for the folks tethered to their suitcases and Crackberries all day.

Watch “Dreams” | Watch “Charts”

They’re both engaging spots, and I think Brickyard did a fantastic job realizing agency Goodby, Silverstein and Partner’s concept. I’m particularly impressed by their ability to render the same idea in two different “voices.” It shows flexibility and maturity on their part.

What I’m a little ho-hum about is the concept. It’s yet another example of an agency scooping up a YouTube trend, dusting it off and repackaging it for some corporate message that is only vaguely relevant. This concept of extended exposure stop-action photography has been popular for a while (look here or here for a small sampling), and I suppose it was just begging to be promoted to the big leagues.

At least Brickyard did a bang-up job of it. I have to admit that I prefer the more polished “Charts” over “Dreams.” I’m not sure what that says about me.

Watch “Dreams” | Watch “Charts” | Read the press release for a few technical nuggets

Big ups to Joe Clay and Justin for their tips on this one.

When I grow up, I want to be a human pixel

PHILIPPE B “Archipels” directed by Stéphane Poirier (via nofatclips)

Some very interesting film work and music by Postodellefragole over in Italy.

Unless I’m mistaken, I think these spots for Helio’s “Ocean” phone came out some time back, but I never really heard anything about their creation. Maxon just recently put up this page, discussing a little about the back-story while plugging C4D of course. I was impressed to find that Grégoire Poget did about 90% of the work, including character design, modeling, texturing, post and even sound and audio. Not an unfeasible task by any means, but certainly a change of pace from a more traditional pipeline workflow.

If you’ve seen Ratatouille, then you’ve marveled at the expressionistic motion graphics sequences that accompany Remy (and later Emile) as they exalt the subtle pleasures of tasting food. The sequences were the product of animation black belt Michel Gagné, who’s also worked on The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, where he collaborated with director Brad Bird for the first time.

Gagné has posted his creative process for the Ratatouille taste visualizations on his site. Some of the Quicktimes can be a little slow to load, but they’re worth the wait.

This type of work always reminds me of Oskar Fischinger’s beautiful animations from nearly 80 years ago. The marriage of abstract visuals and music is, for me, a simple and compelling combination that gets at the core of motion graphics. As such, I think Michel’s work is worth studying with more than just passing interest.

Via the excellent resource, Drawn.ca.

Claude Chabot’s “Apnée” is a deceptively simple film that uses cleverly conceived 3D scenes to tell a story in a refreshingly innovative way. Each scene is meticulously constructed in order to be unpacked by the viewer, whose deliciously fun job it is to construct a narrative around the clues provided.

The moral: Mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be paparazzi.

Apparently, “Apnée” screened at the recent Platform International Animation Festival, but it didn’t net any awards. Seems like a travesty. I hope Mr. Chabot gets the laurels he deserves soon.

(If you have trouble viewing the video at the above link, try right-clicking to gain a little more control over playback. Or try watching it here.)

Bug ups to our very own Babe Elliott Baker for spotting this one and bringing it to our attention.

Brilliant transitions abound in this whimsical trailer for the Sketchtravel project. This is a fine example of expository motion graphics, educational and titillating in equal parts.

Tipped by Eric Henry via Drawn.ca.

Great experiments over at Quadroplastic