Headlight is pleased to announce the recent hire of John Clausing as Animation Director. Clausing joins the company after working freelance as an Animator and generalist for various post production companies including: Psyop, Click 3X, Charlex, Spontaneous, Code F/X and several other New York-based firms. Some of his most notable work includes projects for Bombay Sapphire, Sprint, Gillette, Samsung, Panasonic, Monday Night Football, and M&Ms for such agencies as Margeotes Fertitta + Partners, TBWA/Chiat/Day, and BBDO Worldwide. Headlight's Head of Production, Lana Aklilu comments, "Having John brought in helps expand our production capabilities tremendously in the 3D arena, which is a great direction for us. From a technical perspective, having in-house CG resources really opens up the level of work that we can go after; but what we're most looking forward to is having another senior artist of his caliber contribute to the creative team as a whole."

John worked for four years with Code F/X (a division of the Napoleon Group) as their Animation Director/Senior Graphics Artist, directing the creation of all digital content as well as contributing in the modeling, animation, texturing, lighting, and various FX work for broadcast, pre-vis, and film. Other responsibilities included overseeing multi-member teams and assisting in the overall strategic direction of the division. Clausing adds, "Being able to start a 3D department with accomplished and knowledgeable design and compositing talent already in place is an exciting prospect. It allows me to concentrate completely on fully transitioning 3D into the standards at Headlight and know that the integration with other disciplines will be seamless."

Clausing received a post graduate degree in Medical Illustration from Ohio State University and earned a BA in Graphic Design from Bowling Green State University, with minors in Biology and Chemistry.

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89’s Jordan Green worked closely with Headlight to beautifully piece together these mock scandals in the making… E! True Hollywood/ TMZ style. For Cabbage Patch, Flintstones, and Hillbillies, Designer/Animator Ders Hallgren created a fake show package for The Real Scoop; graphics include phony show logo design, show open, transitions, and lower thirds. All imitative design was done in After Effects and composited in Flame. The spots mimicked cliché video transitions/effects of the celebrity investigative show genre and much of the footage was treated to look archival. Bogus yearbook photos and newspaper articles were also composited to add to the counterfeit quality of these well-known spots.

Editor Jordan Green comments on the creative process. “This was the kind of project an editor dreams of - very funny and creative with a high profile client and agency. It gave 89 a chance to work closely with everyone involved from the outset, including Director Martin Granger and the designers and artists at Headlight. Marty shot many different formats (film, Hi8, Cellphone video) which made for some great options in creating these tabloid lives; and turned out to be a lot of fun to cut together.”

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The new CBS reality series “Kid Nation” features a show open created by Headlight, the New York-based creative design studio. In the series, 40 kids spend 40 days on their own in a New Mexico ghost town.

“In ‘Kid Nation,’ we wanted to show kids building a better world, without adults around to help or hinder them,” said series executive producer Tom Forman. “For the open, we asked Headlight to capture that sense of struggle and triumph.”

Headlight’s creative team shot the open in Bonanza City, New Mexico, the ghost town where “Kid Nation” was produced. “We tried to convey real kid emotions, conflicts, and optimism, all leading to a triumphal moment,” said Christine Lin, the project’s director and designer.

Subtly evoking the flag-raising at Iwo Jima, the open features a flag-staff handed from one kid to the next, ending in a silhouette of the kids raising their flag over the New Mexico desert. In between are glimpses of the kids striving to make their way in daily “Kid Nation” life.

Headlight created the open by shooting various flag elements, filming desert sunrises and horizons, and creating background composites. Animated type appears to be projected on the waving flag, conveying information about the show. Headlight also created the “Kid Nation” show package graphics, titles, lower thirds, etc.

“Life in ‘Kid Nation’ is full of drama and struggle, but ultimately it’s hopeful and uplifting,” said Forman. “Headlight captured that beautifully in this open. It really sets the tone for what our show is about.”

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“A million children die each year because they don’t have access to safe water and sanitation,” said Crossroads’ Glenn Lazzaro, who directed the PSA. “And a billion people on earth have no access to safe water. It’s a global crisis most people have never heard of. We’re hoping the Police tour will get the word out.”

The PSA runs nearly two minutes, featuring photos of an eclectic mix of people from around the world intercut with beautifully designed type animations paired with subtle water references. The song “Elements” by the band Lemon Jelly wraps the piece. To address the language problem of a world tour, the spot’s photos tell a story as clearly as words.

“This isn’t about, ‘you’re rich and they’re poor, so help them out,’” Lazzaro said. “It’s about you, we, and us. It’s about everyone on earth pulling together to end this terrible problem. And unlike other problems, this one is fixable in simple, affordable ways.”

The Police Reunion Tour launches May 28 in Vancouver, with U.S. dates beginning June 6 in Seattle. The tour continues with dates across Europe beginning Aug. 29. For more information about WaterAid, visit its website at WaterAid.org.

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