press release
VH1 'Hip Hop Honor Award 2008'
Tracy Morgan for president of the United States of Hip Hop
Eyeball plays with politics in the filmic intro for VH1’s Hip Hop Honors
New York City (October 14, 2008) – Eyeball presents the most bad-ass political party you’ll ever see in the intro for VH1’s 2008 Hip Hop Honors.
The design agency leveraged everyone’s fascination with the looming election by presenting honorees like Cypress Hill and Naughty by Nature as members of a new and popular political party. Who is the new party’s presumed leader? Host Tracy Morgan, who declared his “presidential intentions” during the show itself.
To reinforce the intro’s political theme, Eyeball integrated the Hip Hop Honors logo (which it designed for the inaugural show five years ago) into a presidential-looking seal on a black and gold flag that reads, “The United States of Hip Hop.” The intro features old-school hip hop imagery like cassette tapes, spray paint, records and, of course, two turntables and a microphone. “The honorees became cultural icons during this mix-tape period – everything was analogue,” explains Limore Shur, Eyeball’s CCO. “We wanted to represent that era.”
The retro iconography comprises a city built inside a layout of the logo, in which people are celebrating in a Macy’s Day Parade-meets-political rally environment. The revelers are blasted with black and gold confetti while microphone balloons fly above and floats made of record players and gold chains glide by. “The idea was that we would take an epic, filmic view of this momentous occasion leading up to the logo that culminates in the finish of the open, then we dive back in and go through the list of honorees,” says Shur. “We treated the honorees using frozen or captured moments of them in front of these stylized floats.”
Eyeball created the opening environment in 3D, and shot staffers against a green screen in its office to capture movements like jumping and dancing. They spent two months collaborating on the intro with VH1 in what Shur describes as a smooth, pleasant process. “We have a really nice, intimate relationship with the creative team at VH1,” he says. “Ultimately, it came down to some very clear back and forth.”
The intro’s original music is by Expansion Team.
[About eyeball]
Located in NYC, Eyeball is a leading expert in graphic live action and motion design, creating compelling communications for television, online and branded environments for brands like Discovery, Nike, Samsung, Comedy Central and Target. Their work ranges from commercial and film direction to branding, experiential, and interactive projects. Learn more at http://www.eyeballnyc.com/
http://www.eyeballnyc.com/pr/images/pr-discovery_projectearth.mov
[Credits]
VH1:
Nigel Cox-Hagan, EVP, Creative and Consumer
Phil Delbourgo, SVP Brand & Design
Amanda Havey, VP, On-Air Graphics
Shannon Horan, Producer
Eyeball:
Limore Shur: Chief Creative
Mike Sullo: Executive Producer
Erica Hirshfeld: Producer
Neil Stuber: Art Director/Lead 2D Animator
Chris West: 2D Animator
James Isaaks: 2D Animator
Mauricio Leon: Designer
Anthony Jones: CG Supervisor
Nick Schentinkin: 3D Animator/Modeler
Amir Elsaiegh: 3D Generalist
Nathan Meier: 3D Generalist
Brian Douglass: Assistant Editor
[For more information, art or interview requests please contact:]
Townsend Belisle
212-431-5424
