Method Studios and Smuggler: Showreel, Commercials, Street and VFX
Method Studios Showreel
Normally, showreels longer than 3 minutes feel way too long to me. Method's reel runs over 7 minutes and breaks away from the usual fast-paced editing style by focusing on mood and carefully crafted transitions between sequences. I’m not really a fan of the first minute, but once the squirrel appears, you get drawn in and end up watching until the end:
Method’s website is currently being updated, which is a shame because there are several ads — like the one with the miniature basketball players — that I’d love to watch standalone. If anyone has a link to that ad on YouTube or elsewhere, please share it ;)
Smuggler: VFX and Urban Spots
Smuggler is a versatile production company working across Film, TV, Advertising, and Music Videos — basically, anything video-related ;) Dozens of directors collaborate under their roof, leading to creative and diverse results. The three spots below, to me, perfectly represent the fresh and urban vibe that many of their directors bring to their work. VFX, cityscapes, sports — mix it all together:
I’d love to see the clients’ faces when presented with storyboards for ads like these. Since it’s often hard for non–post-production folks to visualize the final result, some clients must look pretty puzzled:
"So we’re going to have a basketball player, alone on the court, when hundreds of armed helicopters, followed by Hummers and ground troops, try to immobilize him with precision strikes — unsuccessfully! It’s going to be great! Right?!"
If you have a few hours to spare and love this kind of ad, I recommend taking a long tour through Smuggler’s website, where dozens of videos are available. Enjoy!
About the author
I am the Founder of Mattrunks. I work as Creative Director and Motion Designer in my studio. I also create video tutorials to share my passion of motion.