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MillimeterNew York's Newest Visual Effects Company is Suspect
Feb 28, 2003 12:00 PM, Press Release
Executive producer Rob Appelblatt and visual effects designer Tim Crean, two members of the team that launched Guava last summer, have formed Suspect as a vehicle for their unique creative partnership. The hands-on pair has structured their firm in a way that supports their collaborative approach to providing clients with innovative and timely solutions to their design and visual effects challenges.
Crean, an inspired designer with a long list of high-end work to his credit, has been creating and supervising visual effects for over a decade. Appelblatt is a veteran producer with the kind of technical and creative expertise that makes him a valuable asset to every phase of the design process.
No strangers to getting a new company successfully off the ground, Appelblatt and Crean first met at Nice Shoes, the Manhattan based post facility, where they were instrumental in formulating the identity and start up for the offshoot, Guava.
"Having worked at several of New York’s top houses, Rob and I have the advantage of going into this venture with a lot of invaluable experience under our belts, " says Crean. "At Suspect, we will continue to provide the knowledge and skills that clients have come to expect from us."
Appelblatt and Crean also plan to create a work environment that reflects their own personal style and creative sensibilities. A key element of the new venture is their commitment to never limiting themselves to traditional solutions or boundaries when they’re looking for a creative solution.
"We know the best solution to any given problem is out there somewhere, and it is a process to find that solution. It is not uncommon for us to explore a multitude of different directions using conventional & unconventional means before we arrive at the right one." says Appelblatt.
Crean, who has been using Discreet’s Flame for close to a decade, began his career in the Washington, DC area at Henninger Video. He relocated to New York City in 1995 where he worked at Black Logic and later served as visual effects supervisor and chief inferno artist at Nice Shoes. There, he was instrumental in building the visual effects department, which spawned Guava.
Tim Crean has amassed numerous commercial, music video, cinema and broadcast credits, including spots for Smirnoff, Coca-Cola, Cingular, Motorola and Samsung. During that time he has worked with such directors as Richard Avedon, David Kellog, Irv Blitz, Jeff Darling, Jeff Preiss, Carolyn Chen, and Chuck & Clay as well as having several personal film projects honored at the Sundance Film Festival.
Crean’s approach to his craft is design-driven. He comfortably embraces any technology or talent that can serve that end. His primary tool is Discreet’s Flame. He also has a full suite of design software running on Macintosh workstations.
Appelblatt started in the industry in 1991 at a small New York company called Panavideo. Two years later he moved to Charlex where he rose through the ranks to become one of the company’s leading producers. Appelblatt spent eight years at the renowned visual effects house before joining Nice Shoes as visual effects producer. There, he helped manage the workflow, marketing and development of Guava.
Suspect opened its doors with spot work for Miller Lite, Titleist, MasterCard, Smirnoff, and Jolly Rancher. But its most challenging assignment was providing the conceptual design, animation, and visual effects for a Revlon commercial, which tied into the Paramount Pictures release, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.
"Editor Nathan Byrne brought us a 30-second cut with clips from the movie trailer timed out to the voiceover" Appelblatt recalls. The voiceover asked, "What happens when Revlon gets mixed up with How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days? Instant Attraction, of course!" "We had no live action footage to work with, only a few product stills and dollops of nail enamel " he adds.
"They needed a cohesive concept to pull the idea together, so we dove in, brainstormed, researched the Revlon product line, its branding, and the movie," Crean reports. "We pitched the concept, were awarded the job on a Thursday and delivered it on Sunday."
The partners devised a 3D graphic heart concept for the spot, and combined it with a "guy chases girl" theme for the animation. All of which further reinforced the Instant Attraction brand while tying in with the storyline of the movie. Crean shaped the dollops of color into hearts with flame* and Photoshop, crafting a screen full of tempting Instant Attraction lipstick and nail enamel shades guaranteed to stop any guy in his tracks. He also manipulated the product stills to create a dynamic perspective shot interspersed with colored hearts.
"What was most remarkable was Suspect’s ability to work with a very tight timeframe," says producer Eileen Doherty whose MTV On Air Promos department was asked to give an MTV feel to the spot, which was targeted to the network’s young and exuberant demographic. "The turnaround time was five days from graphics creation, editing and audio to approvals from Revlon, their agency Deutsch and Paramount. It was nerve-racking for me as the writer/producer, but Suspect created a great concept and met a tough deadline."
"Tim and Rob took the spot, added some great ideas and made it happen," Doherty continues. "Revlon was definitely impressed. The spot Suspect created looked like it took a much longer time to execute.
"The Revlon job gave us an opportunity to take a project from concept through completion," says Crean. "It utilized our full service approach and showcased the range of contributions we can make to a spot. We certainly welcome the opportunity to create visual fx that bring an agency’s concept to fruition, however, we really think the final product benefits when we have the opportunity to contribute in the conceptualization process."
It’s human nature to be a little suspicious of the new kid on the block. But this new visual effects house is headed up by hands-on seasoned talent with the kind of experience, business savvy and commitment that is making their company a prime suspect: Appelblatt and Crean both agree that that’s a good thing.
