To create a series of fully animated IDs for the new channel MTV Hits, the music television network looked to SOHO-based EyeballNYC. Led by MTV Creative Director Assaf Cohen and EyeballNYC Sr. Designer Roy Oppenheim, the design company created six 15-second, retro-designed animated IDs titled Air Hockey, Arcade, Hip-Hop, Pop, Rainbow and Rock.
The challenge of the project was maintaining MTV’s brand consistency, while uniquely branding the channel. The spots feature a range of typical teen activities set to energetic pop music composed by EyeballNYC’s Alex Moulton. Hanging out at the arcade, playing guitar… these everyday scenarios are jazzed up in typical MTV style, with lots of movement and frenetic pacing. The IDs build on the channel’s pre-designed logo and light blue, purple, pink and white color palette.
"It was a simple concept, yet it left room for a lot of variety," said Oppenheim. "We started each ID with an illustration portraying some kind of youth and pop culture scene. The illustrations were then put in 3D space to give them dimension. Once we got that going, we moved into the dots pattern using dance moves, car chases, boy band moves and the likes."
"By combining tools like 3ds max, character studio and motion capture, the ‘behind-the-scenes’ 3D element allowed us to alter camera movements on the fly and add additional movement to the animations," said Stuart Simms, EyeballNYC CG supervisor. "This gave us the flexibility we needed to quickly produce the complicated individual and group dance animations."
EyeballNYC’s work on the IDs evokes the art style known as pointillism, using colored dots that blend together to create a whole picture.
"Assaf came out with the dots pattern idea after some earlier design we did together," explains Oppenheim. "We wanted to stay within the brand colors and feel, yet make each ID distinctive. In the dots pattern, we tried blurring the line between the abstract form and the figurative one, so that the image is perceived through movement only."
The MTV Hits IDs can be viewed at: www.eyeballnyc.com/mtvhits
Credits
Client: MTV Networks
Production Co: EyeballNYC
Creative Director: Limore Shur
Sr. Designer: Roy Oppenheim
3D Supervisor: Stuart Simms
3D Animator: Sal Midolo
Original Music: Alex Moulton
Exec. Producer: Mike Eastwood
Producer: Nina Goldberg
