Description:

The goal was to create the logo and produce the signal animation for AXN Cinema, a  prime-time program on Tuesdays that screens action/adventure blockbusters. The only restriction was that the visuals of the signal had to fit into the channels's new gorgeous ID, which is built up entirely from 3d elements.

Concept:

The main role is taken by an arrow (whose tail looks like a filmstrip) that travels through a city built from elements similar to the ones in the main channel ID. Here the arrow gets into typical action/adventure movie situations.

Production time:

1,5 month

The following six scenes were created:

Intro Arrow enters the city
Matrix Arrow hits a landmark, time slows down, camera is orbiting during impact
Chase Arrow is being disturbed by two enemy arrows while “cruising”
Fight Arrow is being attacked by three enemy arrows, but our hero fights back, and defeats them.
Love Arrow gets into a romantic situation.
Ending A transition into the AXN CINEMA logo, with the help of the elements and the arrow.

The idea

The first step in creating a scene is an idea for a suitable plot, that have both the appropriate content, length and rhythm needed at the same time.

Pre-production (animatic)

This is the most complex part of the workflow, as this is the point where the environment, the camera-positions and the “actors”/happenings are sketched up with rough timing to see if the main idea of the scene looks as good as previously imagined, whether it has the right feeling and rhythm. Also this is the time to test if there are any scene-specific technical problems that have to be solved in order to finish the scene.

Production

Once the auteurial, timing and technical problems are solved, and the scene can be processed, it needs to get worked out, which can mean finetuning the result of the pre-production phase, or it can mean a full re-creation depending on the complexity of the scene and the time spent on the previous phase. Production includes: modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, special effects, render-tests, post-production tests, and finally rendering the accepted scene into a footage.

Post-production / editing

The raw footage needs post-processing to attain the final look. This is the phase where some special effects and color grading can be carried out.

“Matrix” scene

Because our arrow moves fast generally, it was evident that we needed a scene with slow motion effect to break the rush. We combined the nice and useful: why not put a direct referral to an action movie (The Matrix) inside the spot, and use it's slowmo technique at the same time.

First of all, a unique environment had to be modeled for the action to happen.
It needed to be lighted properly.
Then a version with rough timing/animation had to be done.
During production, we had to change the white environment into half red/white and the red arrow into a black filmstrip-like arrow.
The impact was boosted up with two kinds of space-warp field: one that would grow in the air, and one that would distort the ground.
After everything was done till point, it was time for the camera to orbit, and the element that was hit to move away a little from its place to give a little extra dynamics to the scene.
This is the final animation after post-processing

It was crucial for the final logo design to be integrated into the animation, so the design process and the animation planning had to be developed simultaneously.

The first versions were fitting the main channel ID (white+red) , but later – as the colors changed in the animation as well – they had to be changed into black+red.

The logo had to reflect that it has something to do with movies in general; in achieving this, the use of a stylized filmstrip was found best. Finding the right fontset and keeping the whole composition block-shaped was important as well.

Here are some of the designs:

White + red versions:

Black + red versions:

Here is the storyboard of the ending scene's transition:

 

 

Below is the finished animation:

 

Additionally, we had to recreate the final spot with transparent background, making it possible to use it on top of other onair footages. The movie you see here is the result (with the checker being transparent)

The final version of AXN Cinema spot:

 

Download the final version

 

Update (April 4. 2007)
Now the look of the movie completely fits the visuals of the main chanel id:

 

Download the final version

Client: AXN Central Europe

Editing, sound engineering: Tamas Hermecz - Creative Director Tamas Ombodi - Senior Writer Producer

Consultants: Zsuzsa Mezo - Regional Marketing Director Viktoria Tabor - Marketing Executive

Factory Creative Team

Graphic works: Attila Kristó - CGI (3D) Animator Zita Tóth – CGI (3D) Animator Andrea Zsombory - Designer	Creative concept: Ildikó Bíró; Zsolt Fábián; Andrea Zsombory; Attila Kristó; Balázs Bereczki; Zoltán Várkonyi; András Heszegi
Supervisors: Zsolt Fábián - Creative Director [managing director of the company] Ildikó Bíró – Art Director

© 2006 FACTORY Creative Studio and AXN Central Europe
www.netfactory.hu