Astellas
'The Touch'
Utilizing a tactile and elegantly frenetic technique we aimed to craft a world that personified the complicated and impassioned emotions of a caregiver. The experience of being swept away, harnessed by an impressionistic style, parallels the struggles of our character to understand each next step. Through the imperfection of the loose animation technique and cinematic lighting, we focused our attention on how the journey of the narrative could unfold.
From a foundation of 3D character animation and cel-animated paint-overs, we created a balance of aesthetics that reflected the disarray of the moment. Painted in gestural brushstrokes, our story does indeed have a happy ending.
"Within each frame of this impressionistic journey is a complex emotion, artistically rendered and steeped in humanity. It was up to us to capture these moments exactly."
Process
"We really painted with keyframes, doing our best to convey anything from a peaceful moment to disorienting fervor without the need of dialogue or voice-over."
Design and Animation: Scholar
Creative Directors: Will Johnson and Mike Tavarez
Managing Director: Jo Arghiris
Executive Producer: Nic Barnes
Head of Production: Tyler Locke
Art Director: Danni Fisher-Shin
CG Supervisor: Tim Hayward
Producer: Nicky Maser
Designers: Jina Kwon, George Fuentes
2D Animators: Sam Button, Phil Hoeschen
Cel Animators: Blake Patrick, Michael Relth, Aly Tain
Model/Texture Artist: Matt Berenty
3D Animators: Alejandra Alvarez, Evan Mayfield, Tyler Mele
3D Generalist: Jacques Clement
Lighter: Christian Sanchez
Storyboards: Fred Fassberger
Telecine: RCO
Colorist: Seth Ricart
Mix and Sound Design: Canja Audio
