Watching Jayson Whitmore’s demo reel is like witnessing a single rapid-fire commercial for every major television station, awards show, and high-profile product rolled into one, with killer graphics and a multi-media touch.
His resume is stacked with credits for Nickelodeon, Bravo, E!, Vh1, and ABC, so it comes as no surprise that the three-degree (Digital Media, Recording Arts, and Film) Full Sail whiz kid recently worked on an ad campaign for one of the most brand conscious companies in the world—Apple.
Jayson joined forces with the Apple branding team as co-creative director for the iPod nano’s Colors ad campaign. It all started when Jayson and his colleague Brien Holman from Exopolis, Inc. in association with TBWA\Chait\Day, were asked to develop a pitch for the new Apple commercial. “We were just shooting ourselves dancing,” he explains of the initial motion test for the project. "When we first put the spot together we were unsure if apple would go for the amount of depth and the special effect of the line we introduced.” But they did, and soon Jayson, Brien, and the Exopolis team found themselves hiring an A-list team of animators to help complete the project, on the same motion capture stage that saw production of The Matrix and Spiderman films. “I couldn't believe when we got word that Apple loved the spot. We were ecstatic. We had always wanted to collaborate with Apple,” he says.
The collaboration evolved from a few creative spec ads, into the launching of an entirely new concept for the iPod nano campaign. Where Apple has previously relied on silhouette forms on a solid color background, these Colorsads take on a new dimension—the leap to 3D. The striking ads feature swirling graphics emitting from Apple’s new line of nanos, to an upbeat soundtrack (Cut Chemist's "The Audience is Listening Theme Song"). “What is interesting is that you can see the motion of dance, by introducing light-trails emanating from the nano,” Jayson says regarding the neon light-trails created when actors in the commercial dance with their handheld nanos. "There is something infinitely complex and beautiful when you follow people's movement." The nano ads have helped further cement Apple as pop-culture icon, and Jayson as a major contributor to the field of motion graphics.
Jayson’s innate creative flare, Full Sail education, and industry experience allow him to continue progressing and creating the brilliant work he does now, often in collaboration with some of Los Angeles’ hottest graphics houses. In addition to all the television ads, Jayson helped create the on-stage computer animated sequences for Madonna’s Reinvention Tour, as well as the stunning title sequence to P.T. Anderson’s critically acclaimed film, Punch Drunk Love.
While working on such high profile projects brings big rewards, it also can be extremely stressful. “You have to deliver,” he says. “You’ve got a million dollars riding on some of these projects. If you don’t bat a home run, you’re done.” In order to wow clients, Jayson tries to personalize his work, bringing something from his creative style to each job. “It’s extremely important to have a point of view… and that’s what you bring to your work,” he explains. “Copying, or copying of style will only get you so far, but if you really truly feel what you’re doing, and you’re not just animating or designing for somebody else’s expectations, and you’re just really looking inward, and you particularly like it, then a creative director is most assuredly going to like it. You just have to break the mold, break out of the storyboards, and bring your own flavor to it.”
That creative spark and the freedom new technology provides, is what drew Jayson to the world of motion graphics in the first place. “I think this is a very exciting time to get into the industry. You’re not limited to one medium doing motion graphics. You have the opportunity to design animate for television, film, fine art, concert graphics, kiosks, anything.” And after creating some of the best motion graphics packages for such a wide variety of media, Jayson can tackle anything the industry throws his way. “It’s limitless what you can do. I think that’s what continues to inspire me.”
