Creativity

In the hands of skilled artists CGI can deliver a world of possibilities that would often be stifled if they had to be captured for real.  In our CGI world anything is possible.  We can create complete environments where the laws of physics are put on hold.  You want world where rain flows back from the ground and into the clouds, no problems.  The opportunities really are only limited by the imagination of the creatives involved in the concept.

Costs

CGI is becoming more cost effective all of the time but the important thing is to use it for what it is good for and as a part of an overall production workflow.
If CG assets are created well, they can be reused time and time again across different locations and creative ideas.  The creation of a good initial model is an investment that a company should consider across the lifecycle of the product, not just on that individual campaign.
When TJ consider a clients creative requirements we will always seek the most suitable production solution and will often combine CGI with photographic content to form the best possible final result

Flexibility

CG provides the perfect environment where you are no longer restricted by the weather, seasons or availability of physical prototypes.  The Automotive sector has really pushed the adoption of CG over the last 10 years and the reason has been flexibility.  Flexibility to remove weather days from expensive shoots with many crewmembers. Flexibility to create multiple versions of a vehicle in different locations, in different colours at different times of the year without ever having to leave the studio. This flexibility has now transferred from Automotive to mainstream products.

Message Consistency

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of CG is in the consistency of message that its use can enable. Clients no longer think of print, digital and broadcast advertising as separate media.  We are all constantly connected as we go about our everyday life with digital screens, display panels and advanced mobile devices.  Using CG assets can allow you to extend common brand messaging across all of these media ensuring that your product or service is described with a consistent visual message.

The client understandably required creative adjustability throughout the process – so simply reaching for the oven gloves and baking our ginger hero (whilst popping out for a swift half) was not an option. However, we did end up doing a little baking as part of our realisation – an unusual step in the CGI pipeline!

The first task was to address the broad design & layout; how big should the character be relative to the plate, what kind of plate? How does this sit within the frame as a whole? How can we capture our gingerbread man’s all important expression of “cheeky delight”? Do we need eyebrows to achieve this? How long do his arms have to be for him to nibble on his own hand? Does he have shoes, how many buttons and, most importantly, is he wearing a bow tie? These questions were explored with concept drawings and a simplified (easily adjustable) CG model until our client was really happy.

Creatively, a clear “read” on the hand being nibbled was vital. To achieve this we placed our key light to the left, allowing the shadow of the nibbled arm to fall across the character’s own chest to ensure the two are clearly separated. To enhance the realism we lit the scene with great care – essentially placing the plate and gingerbread man on a table within a “virtual kitchen”, with appropriate walls and features and a window, a key light source, to the left. The CG model of our character was now highly refined and a surface texture was progressed to a good level using painted and procedural textures. However, replicating the fine fissures and structure of the gingerbread surface from scratch was a challenge – we really needed some material. Existing gingerbread “textures” for sale proved hard to come by, so at last we would have to make a mess and get baking!

Our found photographic reference (i.e. lots of pictures of gingerbread men) illustrated the great many varieties of gingerbread: from the surprisingly smooth and pristine, to the rugged and crumbly. With our client we identified an ideal surface…and the goal was then to match this through experimentation in the oven. This resulted in a considerable amount of gingerbread in the studio and a note reading “do not eat our reference” (which was entirely ignored).
Eventually we found the right recipe and baked a great deal of gingerbread: not only gingerbread men – providing photographic material for the edges, nooks and crannies…but also larger flat sheets of gingerbread to handle the surface of the character (this was photographed with lighting to match our CG scene – this way even the shadows of tiny crumbs would fall in the correct direction.

Our retouch department then worked this material on top of our base CG surface where required. All the icing elements (and smarties) were entirely CG allowing us exacting control of their design and placement (sub-surface-scattering was used to achieve the translucent quality in the icing). Even the table cloth went through the CG process – so that the relief of the weave would respect the broader lighting of the scene and the shadow of the plate upon the cloth would be as convincing as possible.

Our client was delighted with the result..and we certainly enjoyed baking…er….I mean “making” it. To see the final result, click here.

Our digital wizardry is featured in our Snowflake, California Almonds, Strongbow Apple, Bahrain and Statoil!

Responsibilities to include:
- Independently manage and oversee CGI jobs from concept through to completion, including client liaison, briefing, scheduling and team management
- Modelling, shader-creation, lighting, rendering and compositing
- Deliver still and motion productions on time
- Meet quality expectations, including photorealistic levels of detail when appropriate
- Managing and checking CGI operator’s work and maintaining quality, give clear and concise briefs and always be willing to offer advice and support

Requirements:
- 8+ years professional experience 3ds Max in broadcast and print media
- Very good knowledge of Vray, Mental Ray would be an advantage
- Knowledge of particles, fluid dynamics an advantage
- Experience in a node based compositing package such as Nuke and Fusion
- An independent problem solver and have an eye for fine detail and realism
- An interest in Photo-realism is essential
- Ability to lead project teams

Artists should be experienced in many of the following software tools:
3ds Max primarily. Maya an advantage
Z-Brush Mudbox
Cinema4D Houdini MotionBuilder
VRay Mental Ray
Nuke AfterEffects Fusion
Inferno PFTrack
Boujou 3D Equalizer RealVis Commotion
RealFlow Alias Studio

If you want to step into a creative and challenging work environment with good long term prospects, send us your CV and showreel! Click Here To Apply

Please note that candidates must be eligible to work in the UK and prepared to work at our London studio. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer work-permission sponsorship.

Responsibilities include:

-2D and 3D Tracking
- Blue/green screen extractions
- Seamless integration of live action, miniature and CGI sources
- Performing all aspects of composite fx design and VFX integration
- strong colour grading skills
- understanding of compositing 3D render elements, camera mapping
- Ensure clear and concise briefs are given and understood by all involved in the project
- Assisting in the effective management of clients by ensuring a production workforce that is well matched to the creative and technical requirements
- Compsiting pipeline development
- Follow production methodologies and develop creative approaches and problem-solving
- Keep lines of communication open and keep staff and production updated on work status on a daily basis
- Ensure the progression of work to the client’s expectations, liaising with the client when required
- Working with Studio Manager to ensure effective running of the department and management of resources
- Liaising, assisting, and contributing to the effective recruitment of key talent to the studio

Requirements / Skills:

7+ years professional experience in VFX production for animation; Experience in advertising industry an advantage; Experience in using Node based Compositing System, specifically Nuke with Fusion an advantage; Understanding of CGI workflow and related practices, including hands-on 3D knowledge a plus; Vray knowledge also a plus.
Experience working directly with clients/directors; Excellent organisational, interpersonal and communication skills; A knowledge and interest in photography and practical lighting; Ability to work effectively under pressure and to work on multiple productions.

If you fit the bill, please email your CV and showreel/examples of work to: [email protected]

The exhibition demonstrates a vast variety of pre-digital images (around 200!), exploring the evolution of manipulated photographs from the 1840s to the early 1990’s, when the computer and Adobe systems introduced its digital editing program to replace the manual techniques of doctoring photographs. Amongst the images, which are split into sections demonstrating various motives for the manipulation, is a Vogue cover from 1950, showing a model’s face reduced to a single made-up eye, pointed eyebrow and black beauty mark.

“Retouched magazine imagery was always a huge part of magazine illustration,” says Fineman. “Part of a magazine has to do with a certain suspension of disbelief: they’re trying to create a world that’s more perfect than the world we live in.” says Mia Fineman, Met curator.

Strangely enough, regardless of the motive for altering their images – for politics, humour, art or commerce – all the pictures adopt the seamless realism of a conventional photograph. Yes, even the man brandishing his own severed head.
So how did they do it without Photoshop? Most of the pictures were altered after the negative was exposed, beginning in the mid-19th century when photographers used basic hand techniques and applying colour to black and white. I was sort of right. Continuing through the years using techniques such as photomontage, combination printing, over-painting, retouching or a blend of several processes, which was often the case. Like with digital retouching, the effect is to guide the eye to specific details to manipulate the viewer. As Fineman rightly states, “Photography has a reputation as a truthful and objective medium and that reputation makes it irresistible for people who want to convey a message.”
Over the past 20 years, photography has undergone a dramatic transformation as a result of digital technology. Electronic image sensors and microchips have replaced mechanical cameras and silver-based film, image processing software and applications such as Photoshop have made the need for negative enlargers and dark-rooms redundant. With these new technologies, comes a heightened awareness of how images can be altered: the process is quicker, easier and more accessible than ever before. Whether it’s to create otherworldly scenarios, or to create images that are still realistic enough to be believable but just fantastic enough to standout in advertising or fashion magazines, the art of retouching is increasing and will be a strong tool within photography for the foreseeable future.

Check it out this week if you can – it ends January 27!
Don’t miss: After Photoshop: Manipulated Photography in the Digital Age – running until May 27!

So write your requests down as a Facebook comment, SHARE the work, and if it gets enough LIKES then we deem you worthy to be let in on our dark secrets…..

See the whole campaign HERE! Let us know what you think on FACEBOOK and TWITTER! Check out Sharpe & Associates for more of ADAM LEVEY’S beautiful photography.

The star of the show, ahem- The Egg- landed the leading role due to its tough outer shell and soft insides, which is used in the commercial to demonstrate a tooth. The point of which, is that different surfaces of your teeth need to be cleaned in different ways. Which the unique technology of the Pro Clinical A1500 can do with sensors which put the brush into auto-pilot! Adjusting automatically in both speed and action as you move the brush around your mouth.

We were thrilled to be involved in such a creative and unique brief and after the pre-production which included gathering creatively accurate references, story-boarding and collating mood boards, we headed over to our neighbours at Shoreditch Studios to shoot the humble egg on green screen. With our lovely hand model and a lot of eggs we captured the film of a hand reaching to remove the top of the eggs shell to revealing the white inside. We integrated this live-action with expert photo-real CGI for the toothbrush and the environment back in the London studio, to reveal this 30 second TVC.

For the full campaign see our project page here, which includes an exclusive interactive video we created from the digital assets, so you can view the toothbrush at your own leisure. And check out our BEHIND THE SCENES for the making of!

Also see the final TV spot action on the Colgate website commercial, on Facebook web banners and on primetime TV throughout the UK & USA.

The multiple assets in this Urban Angel series can run across print, from magazine to billboard, interactive and digital.
Cinemagraphs are rising in popularity as a way of adding elements of repeated motion to a ‘photograph’, allowing the viewer to become immersed in a moment in time, whilst maintaining manageable file sizes necessitated by many digital advertising platforms. This method can bring subtle life to imagery and be a cornerstone of truly integrated marketing.

Coming from a photography and print foundation, for 13 years we have continued to work with established photographers from around the world, and value our relationships with these people for ongoing show-stopping work in the print and digital advertising world. A recent piece we worked on with acclaimed photographer Andy Glass, is presented within the Photography Annual – one of four images which we produced for global energy corporation Statoil’s latest campaign. Read all about the Behind the Scenes on this CGI-photography integrated project here.

Among the images honoured for this year’s Best in Book was a stunning shot from Tim Flach’s More Than Human series (an image of a hairless chimp which adorns the front cover of the CR November issue shown below), Nadav Kander (whose shot of actor Mark Rylance is on the Photography Annual cover), Martin Usborne, Peter Lippmann, Giles Revell and more.

The launch was held at our Shoreditch neighbours, theprintspace gallery, where the exhibition continues throughout November. As supporters of the advertising category, TJ are pleased to be associated with top photographers, those we have collaborated with on recent global campaigns, and many we would be delighted to work with in the future. The images are also featured in the Creative Review November issue, sold in all good newsagents.

See  our pics from the launch party on our Facebook page here!

The Royal British Legion has launched the 2012 Poppy Appeal with an innovative outdoor campaign to raise awareness for Remembrance Day on November 11th. The billboard and poster images, featuring everyday scenes from our working lives such as the tube and suits, are featured in tube and railway stations around the capital, with the tagline ‘Something Missing?’.

The Royal British Legion is the UK’s leading Armed Forces charity, providing emotional and financial support to former and current members of the armed forces and their families. One of the main events that they run is the Poppy Appeal, the poppy being the symbol of Remembrance Sunday, representing those who have lost their lives in honour of their country. In the running up to Remembrance Sunday, lapel poppies are adorned by many of the public, with the image of the poppy strongly linked with the charity itself.

Each image features a cut out of a poppy revealing several different backdrops behind the poster, such as the cables along the underground. Working with agency CST The Gate, we created the three ads to remind people to pick up their poppies for the good cause. Our in-house photographer shot the material needed around London, and the rest was created in CGI and brought together seamlessly in post.

Upload your snap to Facebook if you spot the campaign on your travels around the capital, and tag TaylorJamesLtd.

Pulling the strings behind the development of the Silicon Roundabout is Tech City, a venture established by UK Trade & Investment, a government department established to ensure the success of UK-based technology businesses in international markets. The initiative has been a resounding success, with companies like Facebook, Cisco, Intel and many more hopping on board.

Like a wave building in the ocean, Tech City is creating a movement – a vibrant community focused on innovation and tapping the full potential that modern day technology has for reshaping our lives, and changing the way we conduct business and interact with each other. Although the movement is very local, focused not only in a single city but in a single neighbourhood, it is extremely diversified, ranging from boutique web design studios to vast online retail networks. Not only is this conducive to innovation, but it also has enormous networking potential, giving even the smallest of firms an opportunity to showcase their ideas and work on the global stage.

With the increased media focus, there is also an increase in the overall reputation of the community, especially for those companies that have had an early foot in the door – much like the early stalwarts of California’s Silicon Valley. This image of pioneering translates into increased brand power, which not only serves the interests of the individual members of the community but also accelerates the growth of the industry as a whole.

Last but not least, government initiatives like Tech City, combined with the increased media exposure and culture of mutual growth draws a lot of investor attention. Barclays is establishing a specialist banking services subdivision to provide tailor-made services to technology companies based in Tech City, and Vodafone have announced that they are bringing their ‘Vodafone Ventures’ investment fund to the hub – and this is just the tip of the iceberg. When put together, this creates a virtual marketplace where readily available investment funding enables the members of Tech City to take full advantage of all the opportunities this environment has to offer.

The photography and CGI-integrated campaign, consisting of three double page spreads, shows Statoil’s principle procedures of extraction in land and sea. The photorealistic juxtaposition of the complex on-site machinery and environment with calm and clean workspaces was a vital requirement for the client, and is a niche skill we renowned for.

Agency, McCann Oslo, approached Andy Glass and TJ to match their flawless techniques on this production for their trusted client Statoil. Impossible to create in the real world, CGI was used to create the models of the environments within tanks, combined with Glass’ photography of the sea surface, oilrig and overhead shots of the energy sites. The ground and sea blocks accurately represent the geographic layers of Statoil’s real life extraction sites. This complex composition was then brought together by our skilled retouchers, paying attention to the finest details and required integration.

Eric, Global Executive Director at McCann Oslo, states “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Taylor James, and the work is world class!”.

See the Statoil project page to see the complete campaign and a full insight behind the scenes of the production!

So, now you know what it looks like from all angles, whether you’re flying or walking- come visit us!

Good zooming, Glen!

The Creative Director’s role is to front single- and mixed-media projects from concept to final delivery, incorporating CGI, live-action, motion graphics, photographic and compositing methodologies. Working directly with clients to firstly engage, build the creative vision then guide the production to that agreed goal, the Creative Director is ultimately responsible for the quality of the final creative work. A hands-on approach to creative visualisation is required, so you will be technically able within CGI, motion graphics or post-production.

The main aspects of this role are:
• Pitches – Developing creative treatments in line with multi-discipline production solutions.
• Productions – Taking overarching responsibility for projects through the creative production process, leading both the team and the clients. This will be in the studio and also on set when required.
• Portfolio work – Developing pitches and portfolio pieces that add value to our brand.
• Developing human resources – Working with the E.P you’ll play a role in strategic resource planning.
• Liaising with London Studio – This will involve travelling to London on occasions to share knowledge and experience.

If you’d like the opportunity to work on quality integrated productions and direct your ideas in line with Taylor James’ brand, get in touch and tell us why you’d work. Click Here To Apply

Also note that candidates must be eligible to work in the US.  Unfortunately, we are unable to offer work-permission sponsorship.

The idea of the competition was to present your visualisation of ’3000′ by uploading a picture relating to 3000 to Instagram and tagging with #taylorjamesltd3000. We kept our eye on these over the last few weeks, and have finally chosen the lucky winner…. Drum roll please….Milos Baran! With his simple yet clever picture of a the binary code for 3000, we just loved the relevance to the digital industry.

Upon hearing that he was the winner, Milos said; “I’m big admirer of TJ’s work for years. Seeing what can be done with great imagination and skills is just amazing and inspiring at the same time! As one of Taylor James Facebook followers and being Instagram user I wanted to contribute to the competition. And because we live in digital world my choice of photo was quite simple really. And being a winner is quite a nice surprise. Yeeeey”.

Here’s a few of the other great shots you uploaded…. Here’s to the next 3000!

The kangaroo was created using Zbrush, a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D for modeling, texturing and painting. An eye for realism, creativity and focus are essential skills when using this tool, to make sure the delicate anatomical forms such as muscle tissue, facial and paw detail were meticulously sculpted in.

Senior CGI Artist, Roy Stein, explains; “Initially the model is sculpted into a generic standing pose, layering in Zbrush is then used to find strong dynamic posing for the final image, whilst maintaining the original “T” pose underneath for the next phases of unwrapping, texturing and grooming of fur. Texture was painted directly onto the model, and drove the various colour patterns of the coat, which was created using HairFarm.”

The biggest test was making sure the final look was as natural as a wild kangaroo’s fur would look in real life. Roy adds “The fur texture was groomed using more than 20 bespoke texture maps to create the challenging look of realistic fur, with each texture applying a specific attribute, such as curliness and thickness, to specific areas of the animal”.

We’re very happy with the final result, and are proud to say the client were over the moon!

We were approached by LBi to produce this huge composition for Sony, to form part of an interactive website for the launch of their new ‘Xperia Ion’. A team from our London and NYC studios went over to do the shoot alonside the filming of the TV commercial at Fox Studios in LA.

The brief was to produce a huge street scenes and populate it with hints from popular movies, music and video games. These hints form part of an interactive hide and seek game for users of the Sony website. This was a complete Taylor James production, combining photography both shot on-location and in our studio, with CGI and model-making. Complex creative retouch was necessary to build this multi-part comp to the scale and flexibility required to zoom into the image at high levels of detail.

With just 3 weeks from kick-off to delivery, we pulled out all the stops to launch in time for the release of ‘The Amazing Spider Man’ movie in cinemas!

For Behind the Scenes footage, out-takes and the large interactive image, see here. And see our Facebook page for even more pictures on-set!

The presentations focused on the digital environments we now find ourselves immersed in – specifically digital canvases at airports, shopping malls, bus stops and roadside billboards – and the various opportunities that exist to use this medium to explore brand messaging through content and social media and delivering a memorable experience as a reward for interacting with the advertisement. Speakers from Grand Visual, Contagious and Clear channel showed examples, including a digital canvas at a bus stop with gender recognition technology which only delivered messages to women, promoting female education. Other examples included touch screens, augmented reality or the ability to interact with the digital canvas using a smart phone. Some of the campaigns that were mentioned; Lynx –Angel ambush, Heineken – Tweet map, Visa – Flow faster, Gender recognition.

All of the speakers had the same story to tell, albeit with different flavours – Grand Visual focused more on the creative ways to put media into practice, Clear Channel on the prevalence of digital media and new display technology, whereas Contagious concentrated on gaps in the market and the new possibilities that this offers, as well as the future facing marketing and consumer culture.

The overwhelming message was that the advertising world is slowly reducing their focus on commercials, where a compelling storyline formed an integral part of the final product, and shifting their attention on advertising as an interface, offering an experience in exchange for the viewer’s attention and giving people a reason to engage with the brand. Advertising is thus slowly moving away from a medium in which the product’s ability to satisfy the user’s needs are demonstrated, and is now also expected to foster a personal engagement with the user/viewer – to make him/her feel more identified with the product and have it ingrained in their memory for reasons not necessarily restricted to the pure use of the product, but to the use of experiential campaigns using innovative technologies, creativity and immersive digital solutions.

So what does this mean for TJ? Within this new era of ‘producer-consumer’ interaction and the advent of new technologies, traditional high-cost advertising mediums such as television and print media are being replaced by more effective and direct formats such as online- and new media marketing, as they have potential for a larger audience and empower the consumer. It is a time of continuous innovation and reinvention, with digital media production companies leading the way. As the budgets previously allocated to traditional mediums are reassigned to digital mediums and the pace picks up on technological innovation, companies like Taylor James find themselves in an industry with tremendous growth potential. In order to retain market share and continue making a name in the industry, this opportunity should be attacked with zeal! Increased funding shifted from the other mediums should not simply be used for production, but also, and most importantly, funds need to be invested in Research & Development in order to ensure that the Taylor James name is one associated not only with quality, but also with the key differentiator of the new marketing world – innovation!