Topix Delves into 3D for Resident Evil

September 2010

When popular features director,
Paul WS Anderson (Resident Evil franchise, Death Race, Alien vs Predator) requests your involvement in his latest film, you say "YES." When that film is Anderson's first foray into 3D filmmaking, you say, "How soon can we start?"

That was exactly the case when we signed on to develop the opening titles for the highly anticipated, 3D blockbuster, Reside
nt Evil: Afterlife.

Designing and developing the 3D (stereoscopic) titles was a perfect opportunity to hone our artists' stereoscopic skill set. With increasing interest around stereoscopic cinema spots, this was the right time to get a major project onto the screen and in front of audiences.

The collaborative relationship between Topix and WS Anderson, originally sparked in 2009, when we worked together on a vfx based spot for Castrol, featuring soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Resident Evil: Afterlife is playing in theatres now, leading the box office this weekend in both North America and on the International circuit.

There's a New Option for Colour Grading in Toronto

May 2010

Introducing Colr, a new colour grading and finishing suite which operates using Lustre, AutoDesk's award winning software.


Lustre works seamlessly with our existing Flame and Inferno suites, which means we can offer a completely integrated & non-linear post workflow. You'll have total creative control over colour throughout the entire finishin process.

Colr is brought to you by Executive Producer, G
erry Legros (former Notch GM) and Colourist Joe Wenkoff, an accomplished VFX artist and photojournalist.

To see our latest spots and learn more about Joe as an artist, che
ck out the Colr section of our site.



Julia Deakin's Animated Film Featured in Stash

April 2010

Topix Artist, Julia Deakin, is featured in Stash 67 for her animated, independent film, Bras d'Or Lakes.


The project, which was funded by Bravo, was a collaboration with Juno nominated group, The Hylozoists.


Watch the short film here.

Topix A La Carte

April 2010

Take a look at the latest, playful characters to come out of Topix's 3D animation studio. Whether you're looking for original character design, or charming story-telling, these spots will ignite your imagination and stir-up feelings towards food that you never knew existed
.

Click here to watch our collaborations with BBDO, Canada and Taxi, Montréal



Excel, The Trip
Agency: BBDO, Canada


Dairy Farmers, Asparagus
Agency: Taxi, Montréal


Topix, Juniper Park and SunChips Team Up

March 2010

Just in time for the Super Bowl and the Vancouver Olympics, SunChips brought its popular online video, Our Small Step, to TV.

Topix, Juniper Park and Mad Films collaborated on the stunning time-lapse spot, which promotes SunChips' first compostable chip bag.

Director Robert Maya shot numerous plates of the decomposing bag along with location footage from a shoot in Florida. Then, from over 100,000 frames of high-resolution footage (and ultimately 3 terabytes of information), Topix assembled the time-lapse sequence.

To accompany the decomposing bag, Topix's 3D department animated a budding crocus, pacing its growth with the time-lapsed footage
.

Watch the spot here.


Ronaldo vs Ronaldo

December 2009

Topix and Traffik Edit teamed up with the Mob UK and Ogilvy Singapore to create this hyper-real showdown between soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and a daring motorcyclist for Castrol.

Click here to watch the spot and see how it all came together.

The Armoire: Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival

September 2009

The Armoire, written and directed by Jamie Travis, screens this week at the Toronto International Film Festival. As t
he final chapter in the Saddest Children in the World trilogy, The Armoire is a comedic mystery about a childhood game gone awry.

Topix Inferno Artist Joe Wenkoff was The Armoire's colourist. The film's rich and cheerful colours play an important role in contrasting the dark melodrama that unfolds.

True to Jamie's style, every colour
and set piece in the film has been perfectly selected, bringing viewers back to incredibly familiar, suburban settings of the 1990s. Watch the trailer.

Worldwide Short Film Festival Wins Silver Film Lion at Cannes

June 2009

Congratulations once again to Doug Agency on yet another win with WSFF Scooter. It was great to be apart of this project.

If you haven't watched the campaign yet, view it here.




Dexter Funhouse wins AICP Technique Award for Production Design

June 2009

Topix, Stone Core Films and Showtime w
ere honoured this week for their collaboration on Dexter Funhouse, a promo spot for Showtime's murderous drama Dexter.

In addition to the spot's complex VFX work, the team at Topix designed and built the opening dream sequence, including the desert environment and hellish funhouse facade.


The AICP Show is an annual celebration of creative commercial production and is produced in partnership with the Mu
seum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC. As a production design winner, Dexter Funhouse will be housed in the archives of MoMA's Department of Film.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Watch the spot here

Coverage:
'boards

All Aboard - Steam Whistle teams up for its first TV commercial

June 2009

It's not that often that a spec spot becomes a reality - and it's even less likely for a spec spot to be picked up by a brand that has no AOR and has done no TV advertising to date.

But that is exactly what has happened.

In May, SharpeBlackmore approached Steam Whistle with the simple and on-brand spec spot 'Locomotive.' The marketing team at the Brewery loved the creative and brought it to air this month - making 'Locomotive' the popular brand's first TV commercial.

Creating the spot was a collaborative effort between, SharpeBlackmore, Suneeva, Sugino Studio, TA2, Notch, Traffik Edit and Topix.

To watch the spot, click on the image below.


Coverage:
Marketing Magazine
Stimulant

One Show Merit - Worldwide Short Film Festival

May 2009
We know we've done our job when there isn't much to show for it.

This month Doug Agency's campaign for the Worldwide Short Film Festival received a merit at the prestigious One Show. At first glance, the spots don't appear to feature many (if any) visual effects. Across the three spots however, Topix completed a range of complex rig removal and compositing. Do you really think they'd let the talent get that close to an open flame?

To watch the campaign, click on the image below


Topix Featured in Stash 56

May 2009
In April, Topix designed the opening titles for the First 'boards Awards in NYC.  This month, Stash is featuring our work in their DVD magazine.

If you haven't seen the spot yet, click on the image below

Nike, Pepsi & a little film called 300 - Welcome Joe

May 2009
Topix Welcomes Senior Compositor and Inferno Artist Joe Wenkoff to the team.

For over 13 years, Joe has worked at a handful of top US shops, including Red Car, Digital Kitchen, Psyop and Teak Motion Visuals.  In addition to his commercial work for Nike, Budweiser and Subaru (to name just a few), Joe has also found success in feature films including the visually stunning 300 and Sin City.

As an active photo journalist, Joe brings his photography and colour expertise to Topix and will become a key player in new business ventures.

To watch Joe's reel, click on the image below

The Paintings of Topix Flame Artist Julia Deakin Featured on 'boards

April 2009
Topix flame artist Julia Deakin has seen her paintings and illustrations featured in multiple magazines and galleries across Canada.  Most recently, 'boards is showcasing her work on its extracurricular blog.

Check out the site where you can view more of Julia's pieces and read, in her own words, about her personal approach to art as well as her many inspirations.



Topix Celebrates Earth Day with SunChips and Juniper Park

April 2009
In 2010, SunChips plans to introduce the first fully compostable chip bag of its kind. To make this earth conscious announcement, SunChips turned to Juniper Park, Topix and Mad Films to document the bag as it decomposed over 14 weeks.

Director Robert Maya shot numerous plates of the decomposing bag along with location footage from a shoot in Florida. Then, from over 100,000 frames of high-resolution footage (and ultimately 3 terabytes of information), Topix assembled the time-lapse sequence.

To accompany the decomposing bag, Topix's 3D department animated a budding crocus, pacing its growth with the time-lapsed footage.

Watch the spot here.


Topix Designs Opening Reel for the 10th Annual First Boards Awards

April, 2009
Topix and audio house Grayson Matthews have partnered to create the opening reel for the 10th Annual First Boards Awards.

The awards, which are held in New York, recognize the advertising industry's brightest new talent.

Topix designer Julia Deakin combined still photography with animation to create a series of dark and playful caves for the opening reel.

Using a mixture of 2.5D camera moves, particle simulations, shadow & light play and hand animated elements, Deakin brings life and depth to the still photos.


Watch the Opening Reel Design here


*Feed Coverage

Animation Custodians of the M&Ms


March, 2009
For the past 6 years, Topix has worked with BBDO NY to bring the beloved M&Ms characters to life in 3D.

This month in Boards' Animation and VFX feature, writer Kevin Ritchie speaks with Topix and BBDO NY about the evolution of the spokescandies' personalities and the nuances of their animation.

Check out the Boards article here or click on the image below to view a selection of our favourite M&Ms spots.

Topix Signs Lead 3D and VFX Artist Mark Stepanek

February, 2009
Topix is pleased to announce the addition of Lead 3D Artist/VFX Supervisor Mark Stepanek to its roster.

Specializing in VFX, 3D environments and photo-real rendering, Mark is a versatile digital artist whose talents translate easily between advertising and feature film production.

Mark's VFX and animation credits include Resident Evil: Extinction, Shoot 'Em Up, Happily N'Ever After and A History of Violence. His commercial reel features classic animation for Robaxacet and more recently work on a Gillette Mach 5 spot.

To view Mark's VFX reel, please click on the image below.


Dexter Funhouse Wins Visual Effects Silver at New York Festivals

February, 2009











Topix and Stone Core Films
create a hellish house for Dexter.
Boards Article




Telus Domino Effect commercial

Check out this commercial we recently finished:

Telus - Domino commercial


All CG except the meerkats.