Spike Lee Chooses Smoke & Mirrors Again
Following successful collaborations on Michael Jackson's This Is It and Absolut Brooklyn, Director Spike Lee again draws on Smoke & Mirrors to handle postproduction for If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise. A follow-up film to When the Levees Broke - Lee's documentary portraying the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans - the latest work will air on HBO in two parts and will center on the storm's lingering impact, the fallout of the recent BP oil spill in the region, and the city's successes so far in rebuilding.
Smoke & Mirrors applied several of the documentary's featured graphic treatments on its opening sequence. The film also relies on still images to reinforce much of the narrative, and Lee worked closely with the team to design their look and animation, applying subtle moves to focus viewers on the photos' most important aspects. The design beautifully conveys Lee's message that both the destruction of the levees and the BP oil disaster stem from greed.
"Spike lifts the mood whenever he is around," noted Smoke & Mirrors CCO Sean Broughton. "It's just a real pleasure to have him here and to continue to build our relationship with him."
The first part of the film will air on Aug. 23.
Credits:
Film: If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise
Air Date: August 23, 2010
Prod Co(s): 40 Acres and Mule and HBO Documentary Films
Director: Spike Lee
DP: Cliff Charles
Producer(s): Sam Pollard, Spike Lee
Line Producer: Butch Robinson
Supervising Producer (HBO): Jacqueline Glover
EP (HBO): Sheila Nevins
Editor: Geeta Gandbhir
Post/Effects Co: Smoke & Mirrors NY
CCO: Sean Broughton
Lead VFX/Inferno Artist: Nic Seresin
VFX Artist(s): Brian Benson, Sam Caine
VFX Assistant(s): Alex Lay, Ross Vincent
Producer: Lauren Shawe
Music: Terence Blanchard
Shoot Location: New Orleans, LA; Houston, TX
About Smoke and Mirrors:
Founded by Creative Director/VFX Artist Sean Broughton (NY) and CTO Mark Widig (UK), Smoke & Mirrors is a New York and London-based design, animation and VFX studio. The recent addition of a powerful grading suite delivers complete solutions for any type of project. A creative and artist-driven company synonymous with vision and originality since its inception, Smoke & Mirrors has consistently succeeded because of its collaborative approach and ability to build lasting creative relationships with directors, producers, agencies and clients alike.
Production in the New York office is led by CCO Sean Broughton, MD Jo Morgan, and Head of Production Sue Romweber. Diverse projects includes the highly challenging Beatles spot for Rockband, as well as spots for LG, Jose Cuervo, and Dove. Recent music video work includes Deadweather's Treat Me Like Your Mother and Michael Jackson's This Is It. Smoke & Mirrors has also been involved with such feature films as James Bond and Harry Potter. Each office is fully networked via complementary systems allowing the companies to share resources, expanding their local capacities. Close involvement with hardware and software manufacturers and developers has kept Smoke & Mirrors at the forefront of innovation and technology.
