Aping the apes. (digital video).(Viewpoint Studios uses Discreets Smoke and Flame)(Brief Article)

What do chimps and humans have in common? More than you might think.

Recently, Boston-based Viewpoint Studios completed a worldwide on-air promotion for Discovery Networks International's special week of programming called Chimps Like Us. The broadcast campaign takes a playful look at the similarities between humans and their nearest animal cousin.

"It wasn't difficult to fulfill the client's request to make the spot playful," says producer Adrienne Gum. Still, the group wanted to make a serious human-chimp comparison. Therefore, Viewpoint decided not to play up the antics of chimps engaging in typical human behavior. Instead, the group chose to show chimps in their native environment--the jungle--and show how their natural body language and facial expressions were similar to that of humans.

To that end, the artists used a Sony 3CCD camera to capture the ...