With the richest stories and most compelling characters, this is the biggest year for Xbox games.
As a follow up to the E3 “Jump Ahead” film and the “Greatest Games” TV Commercial we created with Ayzenberg and Xbox last year, we’re back at it with “Characters That Matter,” for E3 2016. This film introduces a new lineup of characters and stories exclusive to Xbox in 2016.
Evolving the Campaign
The challenge was to create the next iteration in the film series that passed the torch from Xbox’s most recognizable characters onto the next generation of heroes. To introduce this new lineup into the Xbox universe, we took the familiar “double exposure” visual aesthetic we developed for the previous films, and created a whole new way to move through it.
Using continuous camera moves and seamless transitions, the film flies through the vignettes of each character – revealing the rich worlds that they come from, and shed light on the stories that make them characters that matter.
This early storyboard sequence mapped out the action, camera moves, transitions, and colors of each key scene. The goal was to make each game stand out on their own, while finding a dynamic way to weave all of the stories together.
Client
Client: Microsoft Xbox
Agency: Ayzenberg
Creatives: Craig McNary (Global Integrated Marketing, Microsoft Devices and Studios), Gary Goodman (Creative Director, Ayzenberg), Andy Mitchell (Associate Creative Director, Ayzenberg)
Producer: Mehera Bey (Producer, Ayzenberg), Tara Cheitlin (Producer, Ayzenberg)
Agency: Ayzenberg
Creatives: Craig McNary (Global Integrated Marketing, Microsoft Devices and Studios), Gary Goodman (Creative Director, Ayzenberg), Andy Mitchell (Associate Creative Director, Ayzenberg)
Producer: Mehera Bey (Producer, Ayzenberg), Tara Cheitlin (Producer, Ayzenberg)
Credits
Executive Creative Director: Chris Do
Director: Matthew Encina
Production Company: Blind
Creative Director: Matthew Encina
Executive Producer: Scott Rothstein
Post Producer: Bridget Brennan
Art Director: Andrew Tan, Matthew Encina
Designers: Evan Viera, James Levy, Paul Kim, Rachelle Moon
2D Animators: Aaron Knapp, Andrew Tan, Marco Campobasso, Ryan Kaplan, Yosh Bolivar, Daniel Zhang, Bara Kwon
3D Animators: Juan Carlos Cuadra, Yas Koyama, Sarah Wolfe, Richard E. DeForno, Mike Colarik, Val Sinlao
Technical Director: Juan Carlos Cuadra
Lighters: Juan Carlos Cuadra, Yas Koyama, Mike Colarik, Val Sinlao
Riggers: Michael Altman, Richard E. DeForno
Storyboard Artist: Evan Viera
Matte Painters: Evan Viera
Director: Matthew Encina
Production Company: Blind
Creative Director: Matthew Encina
Executive Producer: Scott Rothstein
Post Producer: Bridget Brennan
Art Director: Andrew Tan, Matthew Encina
Designers: Evan Viera, James Levy, Paul Kim, Rachelle Moon
2D Animators: Aaron Knapp, Andrew Tan, Marco Campobasso, Ryan Kaplan, Yosh Bolivar, Daniel Zhang, Bara Kwon
3D Animators: Juan Carlos Cuadra, Yas Koyama, Sarah Wolfe, Richard E. DeForno, Mike Colarik, Val Sinlao
Technical Director: Juan Carlos Cuadra
Lighters: Juan Carlos Cuadra, Yas Koyama, Mike Colarik, Val Sinlao
Riggers: Michael Altman, Richard E. DeForno
Storyboard Artist: Evan Viera
Matte Painters: Evan Viera
Tools
Software: Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, C4D
