Screen Magazine: Vol. 28, Issue 15

Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 28, Issue 15 - Index

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Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Grace &
Wild’s CG/animation unit, ÷X (Division
X), and Mullen Advertising (Detroit) have
recently completed the creation of CGI
images for the redesign of GM Certified
Used Vehicles’ website, gmcertified.com.
And although creating CGI vehicles for a
website may not seem unusual, this project
was unique for several reasons.
Normally, this level of CGI would be
reserved for either high-end television or
print, explains Jim Shanley, executive director
of business development at Grace & Wild, but
the bar has been raised for how CG artwork
can be utilized in an Internet setting.
“What was really neat about [this project]
was the capability in CGI that was used on
that site is really unique in terms of any site
out there,” says Shanley. “It’s a very high-end
competency to use on the web, and this is GM’s
foray into using it on the Internet.”
“We actually delivered a higher resolution
than standard broadcast,” says Troy Wehner,
Divisions X’s lead animator on the project.
“We delivered more in the HD range.”
And although it was a more expensive
undertaking to create the high-res images, GM
Certified now has assets that can be used in a
much wider range of applications, such as pointof-purchase
displays, streaming video ads and
even outdoor billboards.
A prime example of this greater flexibility
of use is the 117-point inspection module
that was created as part of the gmcertified.
com redesign. “They’re using it in Internet
streaming video ads as well as the website,”
says Shanley.
“The CGI components used in those [ads]
were from the website, or we created different
versions for it, but it was all part of the same
initiative,” he continues. “They’re going to
turn that into a tool that a dealer could use
as well, so it’s not just a consumer thing on
the website. It will allow dealers to leverage
it internally at their dealerships.”
Aside from bringing a new level of creative
content to Internet advertising, could this
project also mark the beginning of a new way
for clients to view how they approach the
development of their CGI assets?
“Absolutely,” says Grace & Wild’s national
account manager Fiona Kuzava. “We’re
finding that a lot of our clients are looking
for ways to get the most bang for their
buck and to be able to leverage their
assets across many different areas.”
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