Hip-hop appeal with a comic-book feel.(broadcast)(done by RhinoFX)(Brief Article)

Commissioned to create a TV commercial for Lugz shoes, director Arman Matin and his team at RhinoFX were faced with the challenge of developing a CGI style and concept that not only appealed to the urban, hip-hop culture, but also presented the product in a photorealistic vein. Inspired by comic book artists Steve Niles, Ashley Wood, and others, Matin settled on a hyper-realistic, yet painterly spot.

"Our approach was to use CGI to create a dark graphic novel feel," explains Matin. "New York City provided the perfect source for architectural reference, textures, and inspiration. Dramatic angles, strong directional lighting, and deep shadows help to create the feeling." While dense atmospherics and gleaming highlights elicited a dark, wet look, brush strokes applied to color-treated textures and several layers of painted backgrounds added an illustrative quality. "All these seemingly simple processes accumulate to form the final effect."

Following the creation of a rough storyboard, style frames to ...