The
studio was called on by the Discovery Communications-owned Animal Planet to
design a friendly look for a three-hour destination block of Friday night
programming that would appeal strongly to both kids and adults. The package of
opens, closes, interstitials, IDs, lower thirds, and mini-vignettes is designed
to establish the cable channel's group of hit shows, such as Meerkat Manor,
The Most Extreme
and Amazing Animal Videos, as a new programming block.
LSD
principal/creative director Marian Lipow and principal/executive producer Earl
Stoner came up with a 3D animation that incorporates approachable new animal
combinations like the half tiger, half horse Tigorse, and the, Zebrish, which
combines a zebra with a clown trigger fish.
"Our
concept for Tail-Evision grew out of an illustration exercise I had done once
where I created new, unique animals out of existing animals," Lipow explains.
"I thought this would be an interesting jumping-off point for me to create an
intriguing series of animals in an original environment. Not only were we able
to invent these fun new species, but also put them in a place that's simultaneously
on land and underwater - an un-delineated location where something like a
Zebrish would comfortably exist along with a Tigorse. Meanwhile,
our design of the logo, which features a python tail undulating out from the
'E' in 'Tail-Evision', is almost like a character in itself."
Lipow's
creations were achieved through a combination of Autodesk Maya, Adobe After
Effects, and Haircut and Shave. Animal Planet required 30 elements be
delivered in just five weeks.
"As the
project began to unfold, we presented storyboards for each element on their
list, so Animal Planet could say 'yes' or 'no' early on and give everyone a
crystal clear idea of the scope," Stoner notes. "Our own 3D artistry also
benefits from such extensive storyboarding. It provides a clear path to the
project's ultimate destination, which in turn allows for well-planned logistics
at every stage."
By
posting material to the company's FTP site, LSD was able to get prompt feedback
from everyone in the approval chain.