Nice Shoes

Nice Shoes, Shortlisted in Cannes, Celebrates a Bronze Lion Win - 06.30.2010

Nice Shoes and McGarryBowen: Three Years of Collaboration for Chase - 06.21.2010

Nice Shoes Hires Bowman To Run Design Division - 06.14.2010

Nice Shoes Redefines Red Workflow - 06.01.2010

Nice Shoes Handles Post For Myren's Latest Doc - 05.25.2010

Nice Shoes Delivers Promise In United Nations PSA - 06.07.2010

Nice Shoes Contributes To Unique Polar Bear Club Video - 05.19.2010

Profit-Sharing Model Perfect Fit For Nice Shoes On Hot Indie Films - 05.03.2010

Nice Shoes Spins Out Post For Another Indie Movie - 05.01.2010

Nice Shoes Again Collaborates With Offspring On Ford Campaign - 05.06.2010

Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy Debuts At Tribeca Film Festival - 04.16.2010

Nice Shoes Expands VFX Team - 03.22.2010

Nice Shoes Makes A Splash With Stella For Mother - 02.23.2010

Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy to Premiere in Berlin - 02.16.2010

Nice Shoes Hires Travis Taylor To Oversee Sales & Marketing - 02.03.2010

Revamped Nice Shoes Rolls Out Another TD Ameritrade Campaign - 01.19.2010

Nice Shoes Adds Division By Joining Forces With Freestyle Collective - 12.04.2009

Nice Shoes Brings Creative Vision and High-End VFX to the NHL - 11.01.2009

Nice Shoes Color Grades MTV VMAs Promo Starring Britney Spears & Russell Brand - 09.10.2009

Nice Shoes Color Grades and Titles Garbage Dreams - 08.12.2009

GEs Real-People - 08.06.2009

BlackBerry Loves U2 - 07.22.2009

Nice Shoes Colorist Lez Rudge Makes An Imprint On New Spot Promoting Mandela Day - 07.07.2009

Nice Shoes Names Mike Donovan Managing Director - 07.01.2009

Nice Shoes Goes Risqué For Calvin Klein Jeans - 06.23.2009

Aron Baxter Returns To Nice Shoes As New Creative Director - 06.09.2009

Nice Shoes Sponsors Dusty Festival - 05.09.2009

Nice Shoes Makes A Nice Move - 04.16.2009

First Boards Awards Hosted By Nice Shoes - 04.02.2009

"BlackBerry Bullet" Punctures Apple - 03.12.2009

Nice Shoes New York Makes $3 Million Investment in FilmLight Color Grading Systems - 03.05.2009

Colorist Ron Sudul - The Top Five Questions I Get as a Colorist for Nice Shoes - 02.26.2009

Nice Shoes Colorist Lenny Mastrandrea Participates In Mayors Office Panel - 02.02.2009

Nice Shoes Steals The Show With Electrifying VFX For Chase - 01.15.2009

Posted: 02.23.2010 12:39

Creative agency Mother sought out VFX studio Nice Shoes, who recently expanded due to a merger with high-end post facility Guava, to tackle duties on a cross-platform project for import beer brand Stella Artois. Tasked with the enviable challenge were VFX Artist Vincent Roma and Colorist Lenny Mastrandrea. The spot, and subsequent moving billboard (Times Square, NYC) highlight the classic ritual bartenders have long used to pour a Stella from the tap, is a remarkable exercise in product-centric advertising, spending the duration focused almost solely on the beer. Ritual, which will be released in :15, :30 and :60 formats, is set in a stark white room with a bar set dead center. Though a bartender is visible at the outset, the camera soon focuses on a chalice, which is washed, held under the tap to receive the gushing beer, then cleared of excess foam and dipped in the sink prior to serving. Nice Shoes executed extensive speed ramping FX to smooth out the pour of the beer, and also handled the color grading, tinting individual elements to make what was a clear liquid into the pale color of Stella. “Some of the beer pour shots looked like water against the white background, so we faced a real challenge in getting this right,” noted Mastrandrea. “But after experimenting with several different looks, we settled on one that perfectly conveyed Stella’s great flavor and classic color.” The VFX and color departments worked together closely on the footage, which was beautifully lensed with a Phantom camera, to come up with the exact look for the spot. Nice Shoes used multiple windows to track every droplet of beer being poured, adjusting them to a uniform size. The result is a unique commercial. “The agency had a great idea for the spot; it stands out in the crowd every time it comes up,” noted Roma. “The fact that we can spend :60 on a beer pour, in which the product is the true star, and still be interested in it is a great feat and really speaks to Nice Shoes’ expanding capabilities.