BOX DEMO
       
Info: While collaborating with the insanely mad geniuses at Bot & Dolly in beautiful San Francisco, munkowitz was tasked to Design Direct a truly unique piece called BOX.. The piece was originally supposed to function as a Technology Demo, but munkowitz and the team quickly realized it's visual potential and transformed it into a Design and Performance Piece...

The resulting short film is a one-of-a-kind visual and technological achievement due to the very special combination of talent and gear behind the doors of the B&D facility, and was received throughout the world with unexpected accolades and exposure - all due to the intense amount of love and passion poured into the project...




THE CONCEPT

The piece was essentially grounded on the Principles of Stage Magic, invoking five of the basic categorizations of Illusionary.. These Categories greatly informed the conceptual and aesthetic foundation and were fused with a graphic design aesthetic heavy in Minimalistic Forms and Illuminated Fractal Geometry..

This direction was then placed into a projection-based Physical Installation, where all the 'magic' was captured live and in-camera, filmed documentary-style with no post effects or treatment to make it feel authentic and real... In essence the immense technology behind the curtain being completely masked from the viewer by the methods used to capture the performance..


THE DESIGN APPROACH

The Design Approach for the film was to have the Graphics be informed by Black and White Optical Illusion Art as the primary visual catalyst.. It made sense that visually, if the piece was to be founded on the Principles of Magic and Illusionary, that the Graphics would also fit into this Theory of Illusion in Design… This aesthetic was applied to all the artwork within the BOX and it's evolution throughout the piece as the Principles are explored, interchanging between shaded Volumetric Graphics and Self-Illuminated Geometry..

Secondly, the Lighting Design and Filming Style was greatly informed by the Film Noir aesthetic of the 40's and 50's, utilizing a Black and White palette and highly stylized, minimal lighting to paint a very theatrical image; as it made sense from a design aesthetic to pay homage to that period for a piece founded on such a timeless art form as magic..

Lastly, the final piece of the puzzle was to score a soundscape that contributed to the psychedelic nature of the design; to essentially build an emotional arc throughout the piece as it transitions from mysterious objects within the Box, through a brightly lit and exposed technology demo, and ultimately culminating as fully realized performance art… A myriad of Analog Synthesizers were used by the master himself Soviet Rouge, which fit perfectly with the Conceptual cues and Visual Palette of the piece..




TRANSFORMATION

The first principle of Magic explored in the piece is Transformation, where the BOX is transformed from one state into another, much like a silk handkerchief changing color, or the typical card trick changing from one suit to another.. In this case, the Transformation was achieved by having the BOX react first to the character's touch and gesture, and then its movement, rendering the Geometry and Volume of the Box being subdivided by these actions..

A variety of visual styles were explored, interchanging between Shaded graphics, Op Art, Illuminated Cubes and Wireframes..




LEVITATION

The second principle of Magic is Levitation, where much like the magician defies gravity and hovers a few inches off the floor, the canvas starts to lift off the ground and touch on the surreal.. Another canvas is introduced and together a flock of spheres interact with an Illuminated Tunnel, rendering the illusion of objects levitating and passing from one canvas to another…

Towards the end of the section, the spheres return as one ultra-powered ElectroSphere, which is the visual climax of the section while touching on the theme of Restoration, another Principle of Magic…




INTERSECTION

The third principle of Magic is actually called Penetration, but since we're all a bunch of boys we couldn't really deal with that title, so the term 'Intersection' was used to keep everyone grown-up… For this principle, which is founded on the concept of one object passing through another - ie a set of steel rings link and unlink, or swords passing through an assistant in a basket - the graphic solution was to have two canvases interacting with each other while rendering the visual 'Solid-through-Solid' effect..

So by utilizing a shared center region of Intersection, a myriad of graphic extrusions and recesses were rendered to create depth and intrigue while executing this Principle of Magic…




TELEPORTATION

The fourth principle of Magic is Teleportation, where the magician causes something to move from one place to another—a borrowed ring is found inside a ball of wool, a canary inside a light bulb, an assistant from a cabinet to the back of the theatre, a coin from one hand to the other etc.. Within this section, a Prism continually duplicates itself with each appearance state, eventually turning into a Dodecahedron that is then Transported between the canvases in a flurry of Robotic Motion..

Ultimately, the Dodecahedron becomes a light object and travels through a long, deep hallway, ultimately breaking apart once again and dropped into a deep chasm projected on the floor..




ESCAPE

The fifth and final Principle of magic, by definition, is when the magician is placed in a restraining device (i.e., handcuffs or a straitjacket) or a death trap, and escapes to safety. Examples include being put in a straitjacket and into an overflowing tank of water, and being tied up and placed in a car being sent through a car crusher..

In the application of the BOX Demo, the character is 'captured' by the unified Canvas geometry, and is then revealed within the Box, where the character is then transported within the volume as Geometric light is cast behind him… In a fitting crescendo, a giant diamond portal is revealed where the character Escapes the volume by traveling down the Passageway, the interactive lighting catching his limbs as he is swept away to Salvation...




THE PROCESS

The process for making the piece was quite involved, combining conventional graphic design and animation tools with robotics animation, projection mapping, automated cinematography and a grip of other technologies unique to the studio.. The task of getting the graphic design to first integrate with the robotic moves within the physical space, and then to maintain its visual fidelity when projected required many iterations, since what looks good on screen doesn't always translate to projected and filmed artwork..

In the end, a fairly sophisticated system was devised to render the designs almost exactly as intended; and the shit-hot 4K projector didn't hurt matters either.. For more information, The Creator's Project has a lovely featurette about the project worth checking out...




THE MEMORIES

This team was one of the best to date, and not just because of the immense talent within each members respective expertise.. With all of the long hours and challenging creative during the reviews with Uncle Jeff, this team always bound together, trusted one another and had some fuckn' fun along the way...

As a result, this delightful dance ensemble was cut to present the spirit of the project, masterfully edited by the one-and-only Ian Colon -- they sure did love that PhaseSpace Calibration Wand... It was so much fun making this incredibly rich project; one of the best ever... Ever.




Press Links

2014 SIGGRAPH: BOX Wins SIGGRAPH 2014 Best In Show
2014 Computer Arts | Showcase: Building a projection-mapped box of tricks
2014 AvantGarde: Bot & Dolly's Box receives Silver Lion at Cannes
2014 The One Club: Gold Pencil Design / Bot & Dolly
2013 Vimeo: Vimeo Presents: Top 10 Videos of 2013
2013 The Creator's Project: [Best of 2013] The Year In Creativity: BOX
2013 The Creator's Project: [Video Premiere] Projection Mapping And Robots Combine In Bot & Dolly's New Film
2013 Webby Awards: BOX Webby Award Winner - Experimental & Weird
2013 IO9: BOX Projection Mapping Next Level
2013 Wired: Augmented Reality - projection-mapping on moving objects
2013 Devour: BOX Featured Film - Projection Mapping
2013 Colossal: Box - A Groundbreaking Demonstration at the Intersection of Robotics, Projection-Mapping, and Software
2013 Motionographer: Bot & Dolly - Box


BOX Credit List

Production Company: BOT & DOLLY
Executive Producers: Bill Galusha, Nick Read
Executive Creative Director: Jeff Linnell
Creative & Technical Director: Tarik Abdel-Gawad
Design Director: Bradley G Munkowitz
Lead Graphic Designers: Bradley G Munkowitz, Jason English Kerr
3D Artists: Scott Pagano, Bradley G Munkowitz, Jason English Kerr, Conor Grebel
2D Artists: Conor Grebel, Ben Hawkins, Pedro Figuera
Director of Photography: Joe Picard
Lighting Designers: Joe Picard, Phil Reyneri
Projection / Touch Designer: Phil Reyneri
Robotics Animation: Tarik Abdel-Gawad, Brandon Kruysman, George Banks, Michael Beardsworth
Robotics Operator: Michael Beardsworth, Brandon Kruysman
Prop Fabrication: Matt Bitterman, Ethan Dale
Script Supervisor: Ian Colon
Sound Engineers: Joe Picard, Michael Beardsworth
PAs: Sean Servis, Dakota Smith, Nico Mizono, Eric Wendel, Patrick Walsh
Editors: Ashley Rodholm, Ian Colon
Music / Sound Design: Keith Ruggiero
Sound Mix: Joel Raabe
Performers: Tarik Abdel-Gawad, Iris, Scout


Design Director, Lead Graphic Designer, 3D Lighting Lead
at Bot & Dolly
for the Future
September 2013 (233,070 views) Filed under 2013DirectionDesignShort FilmInteractiveSelect
Acura Mood Roads February 2017
Info: The fine peoples at Mullen Lowe brought Munkowitz and the Tools of North America on board to create a mind-bending interactive driving experience at The
Audi A5 - Pure Imagination January 2017
Info: The fine peoples at BBH London brought Mr. Munkowitz on-board to direct an extra-saucy Audi A5 Global Campaign through his lovely reps at Nexus Studios. The commercial,...
Audi A5 - Escape January 2017
Info: What is the sound of light? If there is no one to see it, does it still illuminate our dark materials? A vessel plunges into the darkly lit passage, its perfect contours capture pulses of light that emit from the tunnel’s perimeter. They commandeer them into an effect that is...
DOTS Play Beautifully December 2016
Info: True Passion Projects are a rarity in the hustle and bustle of making a living in the commercial world. Once in awhile, a dream project gets dropped in your lap, like this particular one from the great gaming studio DOTS. The brief, delivered with love from the NYC homies
GMUNK vs MUSE Exhibition November 2016
Info: San Francisco homie and collaborator
Orbis Integra September 2016
Info: Technicolor nebula swirl like cyclones across a sub-atomic realm. An endless stream of geometries sequence through the stratification of an atmospheric order that signals life. This is the primordial inception of a new world, in a preternatural cosmos.

GMUNK's Orbis
InfraMunk vs Tracy Arm Fjord July 2016
Info: During the Summer of 2016, Munko embarked on an Inspiring Adventure up the Best Coast of the United States - traveling pretty much as far north as it goes.. Venturing on a small Vessel, he toured and photographed the incomparable
THUMP Identity May 2016
Info: The fine peoples at the Vice electronic music label Thump hit up Mr Munkowitz to create their new bumper that goes in front of every video and piece of content from the channel. So Munkowitz called upon his favorites from the
S U B . D I V I S I O N March 2016
Info: Sub.Division is a printed series of Perceptual Landscapes where graphic complexity emerges from the structure of simplistic three-dimensional forms. The goal was to generate perceived movement a...
Eric Prydz - EPIC 4.0 Visuals February 2016
Info: Coming off the very successful campaign for Eric Prydz's Generate music video, our friend Michael S...
GoPro Bumper Concept January 2016
Info: Info: The fabulous GoPro brand has an ubiquitous bumper that comes before every video that hits the internet - in other words, precluding millions of content pieces. Munkowitz and the team at Tool wanted to take a stab at reinterpreting the bumper...
TRON Concepts November 2015
Info: Late in 2015, Munkowitz teamed up with design greats Michael Rigley and Toros Kose to create a series of concept frames for an Unspecified, Inconspicuous Mystery...
TrueCar L.E.D. August 2015
Info: The Santa Monica Pier is a magical place. The sprawling ocean. The Ferris Wheel. The sights and sounds of the people there. There’s a familiarity to it, a closeness, and this feeling is only magnified during its annual Twilight Co...
Car vs Drones July 2015
Info: When Munkowitz read the initial concept brief from Vice Australia, it was one of those moments of pure delight - the idea of racing a stunt driver in a nimble Holden Astra vs a fleet of drones and creating an art film from the...
Windows 10 - Desktop July 2015
Info: An icon is defined, among other things, by its longevity. Icons don’t withstand change - they endure it, by evolving with the times. An icon adapts to each new era, maintaining its identity while simultaneously remaining contemporary and f...
The Chamber June 2015
Info: In today’s technologically saturated world, each of us assume a staggering number of virtual identities. We facilitate social lives through digital profiles on Facebook - engage with popular culture through digital profiles on Twitter - document a curated selection of ...
Eric Prydz - Generate May 2015
Info: Munkowitz has been an Eric Prydz fan for years and years, dating back to the marathon sessions at Winter Music Conference where he could be found soaking in the bliss of Prydz’s never-ending hit list.. So it was a dream c...
Twilio Beacon May 2015
Info: The lovely people at Twilio hit up Munkowitz and VT Pro Design to create something memorable for the 2015 Twilio Signal Conference in beautiful San Francisco.. Together, they sought to build an...
Samsung S6 Edge April 2015
Info: At its best, cutting edge technology is like a work of art - truly awe-inspiring in its design, function and beauty. The Samsung S6 Edge is no exception - and we treated it that way as we revealed it to the world through this compelling teaser film. For the project,...
Adidas Climachill March 2015
Info: Our friends at Adidas Amsterdam granted Munkowitz the opportunity to direct a short film featuring their most advanced cooling apparel ever, the Cilmachill line of apparel.. They also presented the opportunity to pair the shirt's...
Tycho - SEE Performance Cut November 2014
Info: Upon releasing the Music Video for Tycho’s track ‘See’ on Ghostly International, the team decided a special release of the Performance Cut was worthy of public co...
Blackhat Data Concepts October 2014
Info: In early 2014, Michael Mann and Legendary Pictures approached Bradley Munkowitz to contribute concept art for a CG sequence in his cyber-crime thriller, Blackhat. The...
ORA Summoners HALO October 2014
Info: Upon releasing their inaugural product, the Summoner’s HALO, Mr. Munkowitz was once again brought on board by ORA S...
Audi A3 Sportback September 2014
Info: Inspired by the creative application of design and technology demonstrated in BOX, Audi approached Autofuss to realize a spot that symbolized the harmony of art and engineering embodied in their vehicles. To promote
Adobe Logo Remix August 2014
Info: For many years Adobe has worked with designers in the community in the creation of their identities, each bringing their own unique style and allowing Adobe to curate an amazing body of work to represent their brand.. For this project, Adobe was seeking visionary artists who embody a multi-disciplinary...
OFFF Cincinnati 2014 July 2014
Info: Longtime friend and collaborator Hector Ayuso hit up the munkowitz to conceive the title sequence for the esteemed OFFF Conference, this iteration being held in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio.. For this particular task, munko reached out to his studio posse...