Ant Animation 01

This project was completed for the purpose of selling classified ads. It was created through The Alison Group for The Augusta Chronicle. Upon completion, it will also be syndicated for other papers. It is the first of many spots that involve the ant hauling various things to his home. We were given a lot of freedom on this project, so we really took the time to make it look great. In this particular animation, an ant is bringing a lamp home. He pulls it down into the hole, and after nightfall, enjoys the light.

Once the storyboards were completed, initial backgrounds were created. Our attempts were to create a setting in the style of Dreamworks' 'The Road to El Dorado.' Here's a look at the day and night versions of the shot:

Once the shots were established, the individual components were broken into pieces. Every blade of grass was texture mapped to individual flat squares in 3D and the entire scene was reconstructed virtually (as seen below). Modifiers were then added to make the grass sway. We also had to work out the issue of the lamp getting sucked down the anthole. A squeeze modifier in 3D applied to this painted image did the trick.

As all of this was going on, the ant character was being animated. Upon completion, the shot was composited in After Effects. Here's an mpeg of the completed animation. Thanks to Joel for a killer job on the animation. Your extra hours made the spot great!

We'll post the final version as soon as we get it. Stay tuned for the next adventure of THE INCREDIBLE SHOPPING ANT!