FlickerLab Tackles The Influence of Big Tobacco on Impressionable Teens

December 03, 2007 --

DMN Newswire--2007-12-3--
FlickerLab, the New York-based development, design and animation studio, has created a :45 animated film parody, "The People VS Leaf," for the American Legacy Foundation®, whose mission it is to build a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. The spot began airing nationally on Comedy Central, December 1st.

http://www.flickerlab.com/pr/comedy_central/people_vs_leaf/

For the initial American Legacy Foundation anti-smoking campaign, which aired one year ago, FlickerLab created and animated a spokes-leaf, a faux tobacco industry mascot. Brought back to reprise his character in the courtroom drama ?The People VS Leaf,? our star, drawn in the animation style of the 50?s, stands trial for pumping for Big Tobacco. After all, ?when a nation has been burned there is bound to be smoke.?

The FlickerLab team, led by Founder/Creative Director Harold Moss, parodies the courtroom thriller and highlights all that has come out in court cases against the tobacco industry. This spot takes the position that Big Tobacco is criminally responsible for consciously misleading the public about the addictiveness of cigarettes and second hand smoke, and for upping nicotine levels to heighten addictiveness. "Being able to make spots that use our humor and animation chops to have an impact, well that speaks to the whole reason FlickerLab came about in the first place. We had great clients, a fun script, and best of all, we were able to help give the tobacco industry a nice kick in the pants," explained FlickerLab?s Harold Moss.

Comedy Central Senior Writer/Producer Lesley Keene said of the collaboration, "As usual, FlickerLab really helped us achieve the vision we had for the spot, and then some. They really did their homework on the courtroom drama genre. Or maybe they?re just not very good at getting out of jury duty.?

The FlickerLab team included Creative Director/Director Harold Moss; Executive Producer Tammy Walters; Animation Director Nikolay Nachev; Character Designers Max Porter and Frank DiGregorio; Background Designer David Michael Friend; Storyboards Nikolay Nachev; Producer Franklin Zitter; 2D Animator Nikolay Nachev and Frank DiGregorio; After Effects Compositing Devin Clark and Bryan Cox; and Sound Designer/Mixer Tom Lino.

FlickerLab utilized Adobe Creative Suite CS3, Panic Transmit, PowerMac G5 Computers, iMac Intel Computers, Dell Ultrasharp 24? widescreen displays, Apple Displays, Wacom Intuos 3 tablets and Apple Final Cut Pro in the execution of this project.

Representing Comedy Central (New York, NY) were Creative Director John Cassidy, Writer/Editorial Director Darry Logan and Senior Writer/Producer Lesley Keene.

Chris Philips (Leaf), Pete Stacker (Narrator), Prosecuting Attorney (Jeremy Schwartz) and Harold Moss (Defense Attorney) provided the voiceovers for the spot that was recorded at Broadway Sound (New York, NY) by Mixer Sean Canada. The spot is underscored by stock music from Extreme Music (New York, NY).

About FlickerLab:
Founded in 1999 as a design and animation studio, today FlickerLab?s principals, long-term collaborators and strategic partners employ their skills, technology and industry experience on a variety of projects be they concept-to-screen development and production, design and execution of commercials or broadcast promotions. In addition to high quality creative digital content development, FlickerLab works with clients to extend their project reach through advertising, Internet impact, online marketing, and merchandising.

The company?s portfolio includes high profile work for media and entertainment companies including A&E Networks, Bravo, Comedy Central, Discovery Home, Disney Channel, Lifetime, Lions Gate Productions, Michael Moore Productions, MTV, Nickelodeon, Planned Parenthood, The Cartoon Network and The WB, and product/service companies including Bassat Ogilvy, Continental Airlines, Grey Worldwide, Johnson & Johnson, McCann Erickson, Microsoft, Party City and Procter & Gamble, among many others.

FlickerLab is headquartered at 7 West 18th Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10011. For additional information, or to see a reel, contact Managing Partner/Executive Producer Tammy Walters at Tammy@flickerlab.com or by phone at 212 560-9228. Visit the FlickerLab website at www.flickerlab.com

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Credit Sheet:
Airdate: Dec. 1
Client: sponsored anti-smoking spot for Comedy Central/American Legacy Foundation
Title: "The People VS Leaf,"
Length: a :45 national spot
Description: FlickerLab, the New York-based development, design and animation studio, created and animated a spokes-leaf, a faux tobacco industry mascot who reprises his character in the courtroom drama ?The People VS Leaf.? Drawn in the animation style of the 50?s, Leaf is still pumping for Big Tobacco. Accused in court of consciously misleading the public about the addictiveness of cigarettes and second hand smoke, he calls it advertising and boasts of his great appeal.

Production Company:
City/State: New York, NY
Creative Director/Director: Harold Moss
Executive Producer: Tammy Walters
Animation Director: Nikolay Nachev
Character Designers: Max Porter, Frank DiGregorio
Background Designer: David Michael Friend
Storyboards: Nikolay Nachev
Producer Franklin Zitter
2D Animators: Nikolay Nachev, Frank DiGregorio
After Effects Compositing: Devin Clark, Bryan Cox
Sound Designer/Mixer: Tom Lino

Hardware/Software:
Adobe Creative Suite CS3
Panic ? Transmit
PowerMac G5 Computers
iMac Intel Computers
Dell Ultrasharp 24? widescreen displays
Apple Displays
Wacom ? Intuos 3 tablets

Client: Comedy Central
City/State: New York, NY
Creative Director John Cassidy
Writer/Editorial Director Darry Logan
Senior Writer/Producer Lesley Keene

V/O Talent:
Leaf: Chris Philips
Narrator: Pete Stacker
Prosecuting Attorney: Jeremy Schwartz
Defense Attorney: Harold Moss

V/O Recorded at: Broadway Sound
City/State: New York, NY
Engineer: Sean Canada

Music Production Company: stock music from Extreme Music

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