Over the past several months, Mediajuice has been working on a series of vignettes for Capcom’s much-anticipated Marvel vs. Capcom 2 release. The Mediajuice team utilized all our resident production skills to produce this six-part series and collaborated with Udon for the amazing illustrations you see in each episode. A live action shoot, custom motion graphics and animation, gameplay capture, editing, and original music were all a part of what brought this innovative series to life. You can watch a special behind-the-scenes podcast of the making of this series here:
Wow! What a fun game to work on. For anyone who loves Marvel comics and Capcom games, you are probably no stranger to Marvel vs. Capcom 2. It has had a cult following since its release in the arcades in the 90’s. Needless to say, we were really pumped to work on the video campaign for Capcom’s re-release of this epic title. The first trailer Capcom commissioned us to produce was a teaser/announcement trailer to let the world know that MVC2 is on its way back to gaming consoles everywhere. Because of the nostalgia attached to this title, we worked closely with Capcom to license a music track from the 1989 Transformers animated movie entitled “The Touch” by Stan Bush. Originally, this song played over Optimus Prime and Megatron’s final epic battle in the movie. But we have used it a bit differently for our teaser trailer. Take a look and let us know what you think!
The history between Atari and Mediajuice goes back to 2002 when I met a man named Matt Collins at Atari while I was working at FUNimation (pre Mediajuice). Matt saw potential in Mediajuice when I first launched the studio, and although there is much to say for the time between then and now, the rest is as they say…history! Mediajuice and Atari history, that is! Take a look at a small sampling of the work Mediajuice has produced for Atari over the past 5 years, and be sure to watch/listen to the historical commentary too!
The history between Capcom and Mediajuice goes back about 5 years ago when I met who is now one of my favorite people and most savvy marketers I’ve ever met, Emily Anadu. Emily was working at Atari at the time, who we were also producing video and online content for. Since Emily’s time at Capcom we have produced many great trailers, TV ads and sizzle videos for Capcom’s legendary stable of properties. I’d be remiss without mentioning another of Capcom’s great marketers who we have and continue to work closely with, John Diamonon. John has commissioned and collaborated with the Mediajuice team on some of the best work we have ever created. Here in this commentary I give a brief behind the scenes look at several of our favorite Capcom projects and the collaboration and production sensibilities that went into each. We are still hard at work each quarter producing new content for Capcom, but this gives a historical look back at the past few years. Enjoy!
In the summer of 2007, I decided we needed a new reel. Mediajuice was entering its third year, and our portfolio of work had really grown significantly. The concept that me and my fellow Mediajuicer’s decided best portrayed who Mediajuice is and what we are about, was (and is) — Mediajuice, where ideas come to life! To that end, we created an animated intro with a cute little light bulb as our mascot. When he’s dropped onto the Mediajuice conveyor belt of production, he comes alive with the ideas of Mediajuice. From there he is off to be produced as a website, a TV ad, an official trailer, or a host of other products. We shot my live-action scenes in our green screen studio and added the Mediajuice production room and conveyor belt in post. If you’re curious about Mr. Idea Bulb’s journey from concept to creation, give the ’08 Reel a look and learn about Mr. Idea Bulb and Mediajuice!
This week I’m providing a short behind-the-scenes commentary for the production of the Super Street Fighter II HD Remix Turbo series of trailers we recently produced. This series of three trailers were some of the best trailers (in my opinion) that Mediajuice has ever produced. Xbox 360’s Joystiq website called them the best trailers ever created! I was very surprised and pleased to hear that and to see how enthusiastically all three trailers were received by the press and consumers at large. Give the commentary a listen if you have about 3 minutes to spare. Thanks for tuning in!
Click on the video file here to check out some behind the scenes commentary on our live-action shoot for the Backyard Football 2009 National TV ad. What a fun time we had building the sets, making fake butter and working with all the actors!
This project holds a very special place in my nostalgic heart. Why, you ask? Easy … it contains some of the most memorable video game characters from my adolescence. Countless nights and weekends were spent trying to perfect my Street Fighting moves, all while continually yelling over my shoulder to a frustrated mom, “This is the last match, I promise!” Fast-forward 15+ years and I now have the privilege of working on the marketing for the re-launch of this epic gaming franchise. When Capcom’s product manager and I started talking about ideas for a unique way to show off the upcoming Street Fighter re-launch through video, we landed on a GREAT concept that hit at the heart of Street Fighter nostalgia … or “Streetstalgia” as I call it. We decided to license the rights to a song entitled “You’re The Best” off of the Karate Kid movie soundtrack. The song’s title and lyrics lead us to the idea of creating a virtual Street Fighter tournament through video. We broke down the fighters, created a bracket of winners and losers, and teased a final payoff match at the end of each trailer. Who will be the best? That’s the question we asked and answered in these trailers.
The 3 trailers have received loads of praise online. Xbox 360’s Joystiq even gave the trailers the distinction of “best trailer ever created.” But don’t take my word for it … here’s Joystiq’s full quote:
We’re so sorry, other game trailers, but your day has come. Starry Night? Bested. Mad World? Beaten. What game managed to beat some of the best game trailers ever created? You’re going to be surprised, but it’s Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. We absolutely will not spoil it for you, so you’re just going to have to watch. We suggest that you do so right now. And remember, sweep the leg…
You can find all three trailers online, but for convenience, I’m posting the first one here on the blog if you want to check it out:
By all accounts, the trailers turned out terrific. This is one example where a good online trailer can move the needle of sales more than traditional ad media like TV or print. GO STREET FIGHTER!!
–Jeremy