Phoenix Thrills Key Art Again

Following its widely praised production of The Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards in 2011, Phoenix returned to the event on October 17th, leveraging its experience and creativity for yet another successful show.

Set at the ArcLight Cinema’s Cinerama Dome, the awards show opened with the seamless construction of a gigantic film slate, its thunderous clap releasing a stream of abstracted arrows across its massive 60-foot-screen. Phoenix created an energetic play on The Hollywood Reporter’s signature “>>” symbols to direct the swirling elements’ forward momentum, a visual that references a clapping slate and the accompanying call of “Action!” The images then resolved into the event logo bathed in spotlights before taking the audience on a ride through the blockbuster campaigns of the year.

“We went big, big like the work for the films and shows that are being honored,” stated Phoenix Founder and EP Chris Phoenix. “We wanted that work to feel at home in the visual space with our creative, which aspires to be as inspiring and imaginative as the work that it’s honoring.”

However, impressing the most scrutinizing eyes in film and television took more than just grand visuals. Hosted by Greg Proops, top honorees of the night included NBC Universal’s “Ted” campaign, Dawn Baillie, who received the Saul Bass Award, and Frank W. Ockenfels 3 for an Honorary Key Art Award specially presented to him by Jon Hamm. Phoenix made clever use of montage to showcase the diversity of media in high-energy, entertaining videos to keep things fresh and balance the presentation of varied print, display, and integrated media.

At the center of these efforts was Senior Art Director Jeffrey Man. “Jeff is a young gun with a sensational eye and the ability to create visual excitement and energy with such ease and speed that it’s genuinely frightening,” explained Phoenix. “He delivered a few ideas to the client and followed it up by bringing them to life.”

The result was a show that astonished not only the audience of film and TV heavyweights, but The Hollywood Reporter Publisher Lynne Segall.

“The Key Art Awards was a wonderful event and superbly produced,” affirmed Segall. “We’ve received amazing feedback from industry pros who know their stuff and loved Phoenix’s videos. We were so glad that they were part of our production team for KAA and other promo efforts.”

“Last year we had to prove ourselves,” added Phoenix. “Lynne Segall has a very critical eye and relationships with all the best companies in Hollywood and beyond, so I think she was a little skeptical until she saw the look and execution of the show, as well as how the event was received. Of course, the ultimate honor is being asked to come back – and here we are, and we couldn’t be happier.”

Phoenix’s Key Art campaign followed the studio’s recent work for the CLIO Awards, an effort capped by a high-energy animated motion graphic and commercial montage.