Title sequence for the design and tech conference Pause Fest.
“We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
Excerpt from interview with Stash Media.
1. What was the project brief? Or what were the instructions from the client?
The creative part of the brief was simple and very open. The only request was to keep in mind and create something connecting to this years theme - Journey = Destination.
Technically it had to present a certain amount of speakers, leading to a ~2 min sequence resembling the title sequence for a feature film.
2. What were the main creative challenges of the project?
The main creative challenge was that the brief was so open. It was like being handed a blank paper and asked to draw something based on a theme that can be interpreted in many different ways. The hard part was to sort out all the different ideas that would pop up in the initial phase. In the end it’s a matter of solving the first major problem of a project; figuring out what the project should be, discarding or shaving off all ‘lesser’ and unnecessary ideas. What hopefully remains is a crystalized version of a concept, hopefully in its simplest and clearest form.
“What remains is a crystalized version of a concept, hopefully in its simplest and clearest form.”
What were the main technical challenges of the project?
The main technical challenge was the sheer amount of content created in 3D. I used a technique called Displacement Mapping to generate the landscapes out of very simple geometry but it became necessary to use sequences of very large textures to achieve the highest level of detail possible. This made the project fairly heavy and a lot of time was spent exporting the textures (that were also created procedurally) for use in the 3D software for more lengthy rendering. But it was worth it to gain the textural photorealism that resulted.
What hardware and software were used?
The project was done on both a Mac and a PC. Mac for 2D design work in Adobe Illustrator, as well as editing, compositing and finish. PC for 3D, using Maxon Cinema 4D and Octane as the renderer. Adobe Premiere Pro was used for editing and Adobe After Effects for compositing and finish.
Are there any other details or productions stories you would like to share with the readers of Stash?
Like the concept, the journey never ends. This project was a fairly big and long undertaking but it’s a step on the endless road of development and exploration. It’s really interesting to look at how past projects infuse and lend themselves to this one, and how this will do the same for future endeavours. It is, like past projects, one more rock, adding to what will hopefully at the end become a mountain of work; the meta-project. Lastly, huge shout-out and thank you to George Hedon for giving me the oppurtunity to create this.
“...the journey never ends. This project was a fairly big and long undertaking but it’s a step on the endless road of development and exploration.”
