Mumbai based hi end VFX and character animation boutique SciClone Motion Graphics was recently involved in some highly stylized look dev and character animation for a new promo for the New York Underground Music Festival.
Directed by eminent ad film maker Sagar Rege, the intriguing, stark promo was shot in the Mohave desert (Nevada, USA) which has been used as a locale for quite a few music videos in the past.
Interestingly a twist of fate in the form of unexpected rainfall in the arid desert created additional challenges for the team at SciClone.
Speaking to Animation ‘xpress, SciClone Motion Graphics Head Akash Reddy shared,” For the project we had to take on a unique approach, considering the main challenges were segregated in two areas, mainly compositing & technical break down. After extensive research, we developed project specific custom tools and took the execution to a new level by optimising our render pipeline yet maintaining control over the final output. ”
“Underground Music. The very name conjures up visuals of seductive tunes, mysterious rhythms and musicians doing their stuff in those off-beat, secretive places of the world. It was essential that the film be approached surreally to metaphorically depict the nature of Underground Music.” remarked the promo director Sagar Rege.
The visuals that were conceived to communicate the narrative could only be achieved through computer generated images. But at the same time it was critical that the animation style and look be in par with the camera palate” he added.
“The ant falling in a lake and exploding with excessive blood is symbolic to the movement of Underground Music which is small yet explosive”
“This called for a very stylized look and animation, which was a very tough task, but the final result was very successfully achieved not only making it look aesthetically arresting but also elevating the concept to another level!” concluded Rege.
“Graphics Programming is one area where Indian animation needs to increase its thrust on” shared SciClone directors Akash and Evon Reddy adding,” We have been focusing a lot on research and are using as much scripting and programming as possible to evolve our production pipeline.”
Click here for some of the technical notes on the making of the UMM promo which SciClone has shared for Animation ‘xpress readers.