Getting the most capacity out of existing fiber optics technology was the theme of Global Telephony's September 2000 cover and lead story. Art Director Scott Holl's idea of showing a man 'pumping up' the tires of a tricycle was a natural for illustrating the concept, and we set about immediately selecting a model and creating the images needed to show the tricycle growing into a mean machine.
To create this illusion, a rented prop tricycle was first photographed digitally and a few quick comp prints prepared to be sure we were going in the right direction. Once the look of the trike was established, the trike was then rephotographed with meticulous attention to viewpoint and wheel positions, keeping in mind the need to show it in three different situations. Fat airplane tires were then shot from the appropriate angles with matched lighting, and the resulting films scanned and composed digitally. 'Mounting' the tires on the narrow spoked rims was particularly tricky. A final assembly of fourteen layers created the completed tricycle, with a second slightly simpler version for the cover shot shown above.
Now it was time to shoot our model. Phil Castrogiovanni of the Emilia Lorence agency had been selected for his great character face, and rose to the occasion by giving us a wonderful selection of looks and poses. A special rig constructed before shooting began allowed him to have his hands and feet properly positioned for the shot at right. Once the live model work was on film, Scott could review the shots and make his choices.
The model shots, once hi-res drum scanned, were now carefully joined with the existing tricycle files to create the images for the cover and interior pages. Blur and motion were added to give some action to the photos, and the final files were delivered with layers intact so that Scott and the folks at Global Telephony could tweak positions to accomodate headlines and body copy.
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