FOCUS: TV commercial production - New technology helps TVCs virtually stand out from the crowd

<p>Three dimensional special effects have become the latest rage in </p><p>TVCs as advertisers strive for yet more ways to stand out from the </p><p>crowd. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Centro Digital Pictures has already worked on two high-profile TVCs </p><p>using the 3-D technology, for Hutchison's mobile phones in Hong Kong and </p><p>K Force.com, the largest recruitment company in the US for the North </p><p>American market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The powerful, energetic effects jump out at the audience, resulting in </p><p>a more vibrant and dynamic image, and that makes the client's ad stand </p><p>out from the rest," Mr John Galvin, Centro's director of telecine, told </p><p>MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Because the technology being used is new and not seen before, it also </p><p>means that the commercial is made all the more memorable." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He said the need to use cutting-edge effects was mainly due to the fact </p><p>that both consumers and advertisers were now more sophisticated than </p><p>ever before. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He said that people were well-educated about the use of technology in </p><p>films through movies and TV documentaries. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"If we use old techniques, consumers will see it straight away and that </p><p>could make the overall look of the ad ordinary at best and inferior at </p><p>worst," said Mr Galvin. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The movie Star Wars is an example. When it first hit cinema screens in </p><p>the late 1970s, it was awesome. But if you watch it now, you would </p><p>probably laugh because the effects used are so primitive." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>With Hutchison, Centro's special effects machines produced a dazzling </p><p>bird transmogrifying from a phone and an electrified ball skimming the </p><p>surface of an ocean at fantastic speed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>For K Force.com, its 2-D logo was given an added dimension through "a </p><p>sparkling, frying effect and through 'God' rays emanating from the </p><p>letters," Mr Galvin said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Another new technological revolution for the television commercial </p><p>production world is the breaking up of a scene into tiny particles as </p><p>the commercial jumps to another scene. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"In the past, we had to use a dissolve technology to accomplish the </p><p>transition," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The new technology was employed in the K Force.com commercial. A man </p><p>hits a button, and the scene breaks up into thousands of tiny particles </p><p>as he is absorbed through a wall and into a recruiting agency. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>With technology advancing at a rapid rate, Mr Galvin said it was crucial </p><p>more than ever before to be up to speed on the changes. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"What's hip and trendy among advertisers today could be old hat just one </p><p>year later. We're are not in an industry that is as good as it can be. </p><p>We're all still learning." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>