Spankin’ New Music Week was a block of programming on MTV that showcased new music and artists as well as live performances. In conjunction with the on-air programming, a special-edition MTV SN magazine was launched using five original characters created specifically for the magazine as a navigational device, representing different music and lifestyle sections. To reinforce the brand connection on and off air, we were asked to use these characters in the on-air show packaging.

The actual toys proved to be quite a challenge, as they were already locked into certain poses, had no movable body parts, and reproducing them in 3-D was not an option due to scheduling and budgetary constraints. So, in order to bring the toys to life and to give them a sense of three-dimensionality, we essentially disassembled and then reassembled each character, shot a sequence of digital stills of each toy rotating, and then separated the head and body. Eyes and mouths were erased, bodies were animated, and then reassembled with a separate layer of eyes and mouth. Last, the hands were rendered in 3-D and the graphic interfaces were added on top of the whole composition.

In the end, this gave us the ability to allow the individual personalities of the characters to emerge and to create unique reactions to the different music tracks.

These are so outrageous and modern. I love the inverted TV idea, where it feels as if you are in the device. The girl is great as well.