DUCK is pleased to announce the addition of animator/director Ned Wenlock to its roster. Best known for a distinct, inventive and vibrant 2D animation style, Wenlock has worked across the advertising and music video worlds. His ad work, which has been featured at onedotzero, Annecy, Supertoon, and PromaxBDA, includes engaging spots for Honda and UBank. His music portfolio includes videos for CasioNova, MGMT, and Danger Beach’s Apache, which was selected by IdN magazine for its best of 2011 roundup.

“I love Ned’s work,” gushed DUCK EP Mark Medernach. “He is super talented and imaginative in his simplicity, always delivering highly original work that sucks the viewers in.”

“DUCK has an incredibly versatile and talented roster, and I’m proud to join them,” noted Wenlock. “It’s exciting to be part of a studio with top-notch facilities, an enormous web of connections, and the ambition to constantly take on new challenges.”

And those new challenges are surely on the way. With 2012 less than halfway over, DUCK has already fired off a barrage of visionary original work this year, including projects for Pop Tarts, The Shins, and a massive 12-spot campaign for the US Olympic Committee. Coming hot on the heels of DUCK’s acquisition of the award-winning director, Knife Party, Wenlock’s addition to the DUCK team marks yet another coup for the ever-expanding creative studio.

DUCK, long known for its robust and versatile directorial roster, brought the full force of 10 of its best to bear on a monster 12-spot campaign for the United States Olympic Committee via Y&R. Each of the animated spots, which tell the story of one US Olympic athlete and the special relationships that helped them rise to the pinnacle of their sport, features a unique aesthetic and animated style.

“Y&R came to DUCK because they knew we were one of the few studios out there that could fulfill their request to make 12 thematically similar spots that each had a very different look and feel,” noted DUCK EP Mark Medernach. “This is a massively important project that really shows off the incredible depth of talent that we’ve amassed at DUCK. The variety and quality of the work is breathtaking.”

The basket of spots, drum up awareness for the USOC’s “The Team Behind the Team” campaign, which encourages people to support US athletes with donations. Brief previews of four of these compelling spots, which range in length, and a word with each of their directors, is below:

Henry Cejudo by Hsinping Pan:

Inspired by US freestyle wrestler Henry Cejudo’s recollections of his fearless mother, Hsinping Pan creates a warm and colorful animated world to showcase the athlete’s mom’s devotion. Grounded in a warm palette of oranges and pink, Pan creates a detail-packed landscape that weaves from Cejudo’s mother’s entrance into the US 30 years ago to her 20-hour journey through a snowstorm to watch her son compete in the state tournament.

Pan packs the story with symbolic details, such as the family matriarch’s arms transforming into tree branches and rising skyward to protect her seven children from a thunderstorm. “The first image that came to my mind when I heard this story is of Henry’s mom standing like a big tree to protect and support her family,” said Pan. “It’s really touching that she overcame so many difficulties and gave her family the best she could. The bond between Henry and his mom is very strong and inspiring.”
Queen Underwood by Chris Harding:

When Queen Underwood was working her way up through the women’s boxing world, she could always count on her sister’s encouraging voice bellowing to her at ringside, inspiring one knockout after another. Chris Harding delivers Underwood’s story in an engaging stick-figure animated sequence replete with typography and enlivened with a textured, paint-like color scheme.

“For someone involved in a fighting sport, Queen’s story had a surprisingly gentle tone,” noted Harding. “Queen is an extremely powerful athlete, but the way she talked about her sister struck me as loving, grateful and familiar. I chose the colors and simple line drawings to enhance the overall tone of her story. I also tried to choose something that fit the clarity and innocence of this aspect of their relationship.”

Bershawn Jackson by Roger Chouinard:

Bershawn Jackson took bronze in the 400-meter hurdles in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but his real dream is for his hardworking grandmother to see him compete. Roger Chouinard tells Jackson’s heartwarming story in a delightfully animated spot. With a series of vibrantly lit panels, the director takes us on a journey of Jackson’s epic comeback in the race and the importance of his grandmother’s support along the way.

“I could personally relate to his story because I had a grandmother who was very influential in my life when I was growing up,” Chouinard stated. “I’ve developed this film style for editorial and book illustration, and I thought it would convey the warmth, humor and human heart of Bershawn’s story.”

John Orozco by SMOG:

John Orozco couldn’t stop as a kid, erupting across park playgrounds and household furniture in an endless sequence of flips and bounces and jumps. So when his sanitation worker father found a flier seeking aspiring gymnasts while on his rounds in Manhattan, he took his young prodigy to a strict coach who guided him all the way to the Olympics. SMOG conveys this story in a primarily red, white and blue animation heavy on geometric angles and typography that reinforces key inspirational words and messages.

“John’s story really sounds like a fable, so we wanted to tell it in a simple way,” stated SMOG. “We also wanted a slightly different feel for his father’s story and his coach’s, as they each have different roles – the father is a big protector and believes in him, while the coach is his partner and fights beside him. Each character has a different angle for John, so they had to look different in the animation while still being connected to get the whole picture.”

Credits:

Client: United States Olympic Committee
Campaign Title: The Team Behind The Team
Air Date: April 2012

Agency: Y&R
Chief Creative Officer: Jim Elliot
Global CDs: Andrew McKechinie, Marc Sobier
Creative Director: Cliff Skeete
Art Director: Jon Leachman
Copywriter: Andrew McMurchie
Executive Director of Content Production: Nathy Aviram
Executive Producer of Music: Jessica Dierauer
Senior Content Producer: Robert Beck
Producer: Jona Goodman

Live Action Production Company: B House Films
Live Action Director: Adam Ballachey

Animation Company: DUCK Studios
Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Music: Elias Arts
Executive Producer: Kala Sherman
Creative Director: Greg Griffith
Producer: Jeff Fiorello

Audio: Heard City
Executive Producer: Gloria Pitagorsky
Mixer: Jodie Levine

Henry Cejudo (featured)
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Hsinping Pan
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Queen Underwood (featured)
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Chris Harding
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor: Amanda Pettibone

Bershawn Jackson
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Roger Chouinard
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor: Amanda Pettibone
DUCK Studios Compositing: David Cole

Christie Rampone
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Sharon Colman Graham
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Elena Pirozhkova
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Daniel Peacock
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor: Amanda Pettibone
Compositing: David Cole

John Orozco
Production Co: DUCK Studios
SMOG Director: Moisés Arancibia
SMOG Producer: Ricardo González
SMOG Animation: Patricio Molina, Felipe Vargas
SMOG Designs: Moisés Arancibia, Raúl Burgos
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Lex Gillette
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Sharon Colman Graham
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor: Amanda Pettibone

Missy Franklin
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director/Designer: Peter Rida Michail
Producer: Peggy Regan
Editor/Compositor: Michael D’Ambrosio
Animator: Jason Bierut
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Brady Ellison
Production Co: DUCK Studios
SMOG Director(s): Luis Suarez, Moisés Arancibia
SMOG Producer: Ricardo González
SMOG Animation: Luis Suarez
SMOG Designs: Adriana Campos
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Evelyn Stevens
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Delicatessen Production Design: Cristiana Valentini
Delicatessen Editing: Gabriele Fantuzzi
Delicatessen Compositing: Lucia Catellani
Delicatessen Animation: Luciano Acampora
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Lolo Jones
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Director: Jeong-A Seong
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

Corben Sharrah
Production Co: DUCK Studios
Direction/Production by Mainframe
Animation: Joe Pelling
DUCK Studios Executive Producer: Mark Medernach
DUCK Studios Production Coordinator: Sophia Richard
DUCK Studios Editor(s): Amanda Pettibone, Katie York

When Leo Burnett Worldwide needed a full-service production studio to create a national spot for Kellogg’s Pop Tarts’ new “Joylicious” campaign, they chose to partner with DUCK directing duo Lane & Jan. In the spot titled “Follow the Leader,” longtime DUCK animators Lane & Jan paired together to create an original set of animated characters. These sophisticated little guys inhabit a black-and-white world until one day their leader returns full of color and happiness after eating a cherry-flavored Pop Tart.

“Lane and Jan have a great history of bringing to life amazing, animated characters for our clients,” explained DUCK EP Mark Medernach. “They delivered an outstanding spot for Leo Burnett with ‘Follow the Leader.’ Within a 30-second window, Lane & Jan built an entire original world and tell a story about the characters who live there.”

While one of the most appealing aspects of Kellogg’s Pop Tarts is the ease by which you prepare them in the toaster for a delicious meal or snack, Lane & Jan’s masterful direction made animating a series of original characters look just as easy. “In creating the little guys for Pop Tarts, we needed to design not just the look of the characters but also how they walk, jump, dance, and move throughout this new world,” explained director Jan Chen.

Working with Autodesk Maya, The Foundry Nuke, Next Limit RealFlow, and Adobe After Effects, Lane & Jan were able to save invaluable amounts of time during the eight weeks of production by rendering the characters on the fly. From a technological standpoint, this rapid reduction in rendering time allowed the directors additional creative time to experiment with a variety of motions for animating the little guys until they settled upon the most apt.

“We had to strike a balance when animating the characters to make sure they’re fun but that they didn’t look too childish,” commented director Lane Nakamura. “We were striving to build appealing characters.”

The “Joylicious” campaign utilizes a multiplatform approach which features the “Follow the Leader” spot and the little guys both on-air as well as online and in social media like Facebook.