Scarlett: Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's - (2012) :30 (USA)

by: glossy, Sep 12 2012 - 7:51pm

Scarlett, the New York-based design and VFX studio has brought some of Bergdorf Goodman’s most extravagant window displays to life in strikingly vivid detail for the film Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's, a documentary that celebrates the iconic retailer’s 111th anniversary and is debuting tonight at New York Fashion Week 2012.

Director Matthew Miele approached Scarlett to design the main titles and all the animated sequences in the film, including a one-minute sequence showcasing some of the retailer’s most memorable displays. “We were very excited to be a part of this film with Matthew,” said Managing Director Wendy Brovetto. “The film’s high-end fashion and beauty subject is perfectly in line with our aesthetic and expertise.”

The segment opens with the gothic splendor of alchemist Douglas Little’s windows, segues into a glittering, deep blue undersea world, a white-on-white wonderland, a brass menagerie of metallic, tropical birds, cheeky Post-it note artwork and a burlesque carnival, and many other lavish displays.

Working from a library of photos of the retailer’s most elaborate creations, Scarlett’s team, lead by Creative Director Johanna Marciano, sectioned each image into planes and isolated little details to transform the still images of couture outfits and antiques into rich, three-dimensional environments through motion design and animation in AfterEffects, Photoshop and C4D.

Scarlett’s team kept the movements understated – butterflies flutter their wings, cards fall from the sky, lights glow to life – in order to emphasize the elegance and craftsmanship in each fashion tableaux. They also added subtle and easily overlooked movements so the film’s audience will have something new to discover upon each viewing.

The resulting segment captures the iconic windows’ timeless elegance with equal amounts of grace and whimsy.