Welcome to the ay-pe weblog.

It has been a while since our last blog and our last Studio film shoot. Last week we were back in the studio filming for Tower Bridge and Alnwick Castle. Since our last studio shoot York University have built themselves a new state-of-the-art Film & TV facility and since it is a stone’s throw from our own studio, we took full advantage. On this occasion we choose to shoot on RED to ensure the highest quality and we have (so far) been more than happy with the workflow and the quality of the footage.

For the Alnwick Castle shoot , we are shooting an immersive experience that is designed to ’scare’. For two of the characters we employed the skills of Fiona Lobo Cranston an Mike Dargan to apply the make-up and prosthetics. To see the finished characters you’ll need to go to Alnwick Castle, opening this Easter.

Many thanks to everyone who helped the shoot, you all know who you are , but we’ll make sure you’re all credited once we complete and install both projects for Easter 2012.

We’ve recently been appointed media contractors for a new exhibition at London’s Tower Bridge. We are currently in production working alongside our client and scriptwriter to produce a script ready for filming early in the New Year. Watch this space!

We have recently completed work on our latest project, a 3D projection mapped, animated ghost story for the Real Mary Kings Close, Edinburgh (RMKC). For some years RMKC had a ghost story that was mainly audio based with a few lighting effects that was badly in need of ’sprucing up’.  The brief was to create a show for a sophisticated audience that would be unique, immersive and experiential. Our starting point was to ensure that the show had storytelling at its core and we began by commissioning a script from Richard Taylor. Richard also helped us to refine our ideas as to the essence of what makes a good Ghost Story. We knew that we wanted to use the room to full effect and thus decided to use the room’s architectural features. (In the image above the fireplace is a real fireplace outlined in white by the projection mapping). The fireplace plays the main role in the story – it sets the mood. At the start of the story the fireplace helps set the scene, a warming glow filling the room. As the story progresses we crack the wall around the fireplace, pulling the wall away from the fireplace to create a black void. The aim of the whole show was to allow the visuals, the audio, the voice, the lighting and the room itself to work together with no one medium being dominant.

The overall piece lasts just under 5 minutes. You can view a video of the show here.  But this is a story that needs to be experienced & I’d urge you to go to RMKC on your next visit to Edinburgh. The attraction has a lot more to offer than our Ghost Story.

After a very busy start to 2011 producing some diverse projects, we are pleased to announce that we are currently featured in the Summer edition of the M&H Magazine for the work we did at Ordsall Hall, Salford and the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum. Going to the M&H website you’ll also find a video of our client talking about their museum at the Windsor Guildhall.

For our clients at Windsor we produced a 3D Pop-Up Book and a Balloon Flight Animated film which you can currently view on our Vimeo page. (Select the thumbnail at the bottom) and for Ordsall Hall a ‘Friendly Phantoms’ Ghost Game produced both for the web and for a kiosk on site. On both projects we worked closely with PLB Ltd who commented on our game in the magazine – ” A highlight of the experience is the bespoke Ghost Game. This digital challenge…  plays on the Hall’s haunted reputation. Many people from around the world regularly log on to Ordsall Hall’s Ghost Cam and this game offers young people the chance to turn a ghost hunter”

For the Windsor Pop-Up Book, storytelling was at the heart of the film. We commissioned a script from Richard Taylor which formed the basis of the film dictating the illustrations which we in turn commissioned to Neil Pearson. The Pop-Up book was then modelled in 3DSM, page by page to look, feel and act as a real pop-up book would. Articles about both Ordsall Hall and Windsor Museum can be found as a PDF on the M&H website.

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded the contract for the media at the North York Moors National Park at Sutton Bank. Beating off stiff competition in a three way tender bid, ay-pe were awarded the contract to produce a CGI experience showing the evolution of the landscape. Over the forthcoming months we will be working with our client to develop our concept proposals for delivery in the new year… watch this space!

As ay-pe gets older we are also getting busier.  We are currently refreshing our records of talented people who could potentially work as part our team on a project by project basis. We would like to invite freelancers with 2 years+ digital experience to send us their CV’s  with a link to their work.  If the following skills apply to you, please don’t hesitate in getting in touch.

Motion graphics | Digital Producers | 3D modellers | 3D animators  | 3D Artists     Contact : vicky@ay-pe.com

Vote for us on E4 sting competition. A collaborative piece between ourselves and Chris Jevons at jevsillustration.

We’re very busy at the moment leaving the blog at the bottom of a long list of  things-to-do,  but here is a sneaky peak of the work we have just completed for Ordsall Hall in Salford. (It’s the ‘Friendly Phantoms’ fun, interactive game. This is the Start Screen before you enter the Hall) Needless to say watch this space…

Big shout out to: Client – PLB Ltd. Illustrations – Chris Jevons.  Programming – Simon Kendrew, Multimedia Partners. Audio – Ben McAvoy, Wave Media Productions

We’ve recently completed a short animation for our friends at The Production Company in Leeds for a film that they are doing in association with Cadbury’s ‘Spots vs Stripes’

The animation was to show various venues around the UK that are participating in a ‘Spots vs Stripes’ sporting event. In 3DSM we made an oversized model of the UK (in purple, of course!) and put it on a globe. We than  built spotty & stripey clouds, trees, and buildings all in… purple! The animation moves from venue to venue – essentially a branded orientation device for editing the film.

It has been a busy few months at ay-pe, first our ‘Spirit of Scotland’ promotional film and now a new ‘Pop-Up Book’ for our clients in Windsor. This time around, our Pop-Up book has taken on a more sophisticated look – it is about the history of Windsor and the surrounding borough after all!

The book starts at the beginning, a potted history, moving onto the first settlers then Anglo-Saxon & Norman times, the signing of the Magna Carta, Civil War, Horror films and Fire Windsor Castle. The 4 minute long film finishes with the marriage of Charles and Camilla at the very Guildhall where the Museum is housed. Scripted by Richard Taylor and Illustrated by Neil Pearson (with a bit of help from our very own Vicky) the film was created entirely in 3DS Max. Each scene, each fold, each pop-up element and each page turn was made to work as it would in reality. I’m going to stop rambling on, watch the film here, it hopefully speaks for itself…

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Many thanks to everyone who collaborated in making this film a reality:

Client: The Guildhall Museum, Windsor
Script & Research: Richard Taylor (York)
Director / Compositor: Richard Playford
Head of CG / CG Modelling: Simon Ackerley
Producer: Vicky Blakey
Illustration: Neil Pearson
Additional Illustration: Vicky Blakey
Voice Over & SFX: John Vick. Finiflex, Edinburgh
Narrated by: Fenella Kerr
Music: Audio Networks