Los Angeles - SWAY Studio, one of North America’s leading visual
effects studios, has received the “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music
Video” award for its contribution to the U2 and Green Day music video
entitled, “The Saints are Coming” during the 5th Annual Visual Effects
Society (VES) Awards Gala held Sunday, February 11, 2007 in Los Angeles.
“It is an honor to
receive recognition from the VES for the innovative work SWAY did to
create the visual effects for ‘The Saints are Coming’ video,” says Mark
Glaser, owner and creative director of SWAY Studio. “It was such a
compelling project, and one that allowed our already talented team to
further develop such incredible techniques. This acknowledgment really
positions SWAY as a leading provider of detailed and precise
photorealism.”
For this video,
SWAY’s team integrated many photoreal CG elements, including
Harrier jets, Apache helicopters, Stealth Bombers, and tanks into
existing news footage from Hurricane Katrina, resulting in a
thought-provoking and emotional video that illustrates what it might
have looked like had the government responded differently to the
disaster.
SWAY worked
meticulously to ensure all shots were done with the highest level of
detail and quality. Their main challenge was to make the Iraqi Desert
Storm aircraft and tanks look as if they were actually in New Orleans
during the time of the rescue and mass evacuation. Every shot was
scrutinized, worked, and reworked to ensure its believability.
“The Saints are
Coming” is performed by U2 and Green Day, and directed by Chris Milk of
Radical Media. All proceeds from the sale of “The Saints are Coming”
benefit Music Rising, an instrument replacement fund for musicians
located on the Gulf Coast.
To watch the video, visit: mtv.com or
vh1.com.
SWAY CREDITS
U2 and Green Day "The Saints Are Coming"
Creative Director: Mark Glaser
Executive Producer: Shira Boardman
Executive Producer: Mike Pardee
Producer: Matt Winkel
Production Coordinator: Daughn Ward
Flame Artist/Compositing Lead: Ben Looram
CG Supervisor: Wayne England
Artists 3D: Richard Wardlow, Rob Meyers, Aaron Powell, Daniel Buck, Rob Glazer, Josh Hooker, John Allardice, Greg Tsadilas
Compositing: Ryan Gibson, Maciek Sokalski, Chris Bankoff, Feli DiGiorgio, Lauren Mayer-Beug
Technical Directors: Graham Fyffe, Carlos Anguiano
Rotoscoping & Paint: Lyndal Heathwood, Edgar Diaz, Christine Felman
I.T. dept: Nick Swartz, Kevin Beier
Production Assistants: Nick Mayer, Jessica Anderson