Director Tim Burton tapped Ring of Fire for the visual effects on two Timex spots. The first spot, "Kung Fu," features a hero jumping from roof-tops in pursuit of the villains. However, the villains corner the hero. In the midst of a battle, the hero sets the alarms on the villains watches. Once the alarms sound the hero is given just enough time to defeat his advisories. Airing in the U.S. in the fall, "Mannequin" features a cat-suit-wearing heroine running from a devious villain. The heroine darts into a mannequin factory where she sets her three watches and blends into the room of figures. The villain enters, hears the first alarm and quickly lops off the head of a mannequin. The second alarm sounds and the villain attacks another mannequin. As the third alarm sounds, the heroine flips in, kicking the villain to the ground. Both spots feature a fast-paced soundtrack from the Dust Brothers (FIGHT CLUB) and tagline, "Timex I-control setting systems. Ridiculously easy to use." Using Discreet Logics Inferno and Quantels Henry, Ring of Fire added CGI moons and clouds, removed stunt wires and finished the transitional morphs to the product shots. From Ring of Fire, Jerry Spivack served as creative director and Jill Heinrich and Kim Evans produced. The spot was created for Minneapolis-based ad agency Fallon.
Read more about Ring of Fire in Animation World Magazines article Using Visual Effects in Commercials: A Guide for Success.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
