THE SYNDICATE FINISHES SONY PSP SPOTS
November 30, 2006

THE SYNDICATE FINISHES SONY PSP SPOTS

WATCH THE VIDEO

The studio provided HD color correction and online services for the two :30 spots, which were directed by Garth Davis for Anonymous Content/Exit Films and cut by Bill Chessman of Venice Beach Editorial.

Both of the high definition spots use the tagline, "PSP and Memory Stick Pro Duo — Share Yourself."  Each commercial opens with a young man waking alone to discover a note on the pillow reading, "Find me," and a Memory Stick Duo.  In Part 1, the first clue that appears on the PSP screen is a still image of a shop window. The guy locates the store but can't find the girl. An image of a billboard gives him another idea, but when he arrives, he spots her boarding a bus, too late to catch her.

In Part 2, he resumes his quest.  Video footage on the PSP reveals the girl singing in a karaoke bar.  He locates the bar but doesn't' find her there. Another clue leads him to a club where artist Kenna is performing. There, he finds the girl.

The Syndicate's VFX supervisor/Flame artist Les Umberger performed screen composites, tracking digital stills and video clips and compositing them onto the portable device.  He also composited imagery onto the screens of onlookers with PSPs, and did the pull-back and moving logo composite for the end-tag.

In addition, Umberger manipulated a number of shots, replacing the sky, removing rooftop elements near a billboard, and adding a title to a real billboard. Eddie Robison modeled the CG billboard, shaped like a PSP, using NewTek Lightwave. Umberger the composited the billboard and the video footage that plays on the giant widescreen.

Beau Leon color corrected the spots and Umberger conformed them in Autodesk Flame.

A : 60 version combining parts 1 and 2 is slated for broadcast and selected cinema release. Lime handled the final mixes.