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In this branded integration for Shark Week with Crest, Discovery takes a shark to one brave dentist.
Miami-based creative agency 2C worked with Michael Eisenbaum, vice president, branded entertainment at Discovery Channel and Science Channel to pair Shark Week with the famed toothpaste brand to create a custom vignette.
“It’s always fun to pitch crazy ideas and when the client actually gives the greenlight to one them, you get that amazing opportunity to blow them away with execution,” said Eisenbaum in a statement. “We knew if we turned to 2C, they would do everything within their power to bring this concept to life at the level we needed for both Crest and Discovery Channel. And, boy, did they bring it!”
Of course, it’s neither desirable nor possible to put a real shark in a dentist’s chair, so the team relied on lots of computer-generated imagery as well as an actor in a shark helmet and a green suit.
“What I love about this project is that we were able to dream a little bigger, utilize every tool at our disposal and expand the typical limits of imagination in this space …bringing something fantastical to life with a blockbuster feel and yet a promo budget and timeline,” said 2C Live-Action/Creative Director Brian Eloe, also in a statement. “It’s pretty amazing getting to create a custom spot for this network and this type of sponsor that has this level of finish to it.”
“The live-action shoot had to be sensitive to our render-intensive Cinema 4D for modeling, animating, texturing and lighting, as well as the roto and composite work that would happen later in post,” said 2C Design Director Luis Martinez, who shepherded the design process alongside 3D Artists/Compositors Andy Fernandez and Dmitri Zavyazkin, who also handled the DaVinci color correction. Chris Volz served as the project’s Senior Editor.
Martinez continued: “The integration of the shark into the scene was a slow, deliberate process over a month involving some 40 hours of rendering for the final composited 10 shots, but the result was well worth it.”
Discovery’s 30th annual Shark Week — well really, eight days — kicked off Sunday, July 22, for a week-plus of shark-filled programming.
CREDITS
Discovery
Vice President, Branded Entertainment at Discovery Channel and Science Channel: Michael Eisenbaum
Sr. Manager, Ad Sales Marketing: Theresa Sun
Production Manager: Nettie Ferrara
Crest Agency
Director, Content Collective: Andrew Littell
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Sloan
General Manager, Senior Director of Operations: Nikki Coloma
Live-Action Director/Creative Director: Brian Eloe
Senior Editor: Chris Volz
Design Director/ VFX Supervisor: Luis Martinez
Executive Producer/Design: Bob Cobb
3D Artist, Compositor & Color Correction: Dmitri Zavyazkin
3D Artist & Compositor: Andy Fernandez
Technical Operations Manager: Ashley Hartford
Assistant Editor: Williams Naranjo
Collaborators
Director of Photography: Chuck Ozeas
Line Producer: Chris Stoerchle
Art Director: Greg Jackson
Sound Design/Mix: Cesar Haliwa