IMAX Countdowns
At Hectic Digital we worked on a myriad of IMAX countdowns. Each one were under agressive timelines of 3 weeks or less, but despite the limitations they were creative projects that I enjoyed leading, and attempting to make each one better than the last.
We constructed unique 3D environments for each catered to the storytelling of each movie IP, without using assets from the IPs themselves. We also broke free of the traditional linear camera movement of the original IMAX countdowns to create a rollercoaster feel as the viewer.
art direction
We were challenged with a difficult task of creating a world that felt like it was taken out of the DC Suicide Squad universe, while at the same time not utilizing SS branded assets.
Lots of Detail
A robost world was built down to the doornobs in detail. Nearly nine million polygons were used as well as thousands of texture maps. Over 20 times the detail of any previous IMAX countdown.
In the Numbers
On top of utilizing the most diverse color palette a IMAX countdown had seen, we fully modified fonts and numbers to family in with the Suicide Squad marketing campaign.
Continuing a Legacy
It was an honor getting the opportunity to continue passing the torch on an IP for IMAX that was so iconic when it was first released.
World Creation
Before this countdown, the previous IMAX countdowns were absent of a background environment.
Stylized Rendering
With the design of the previous countdowns looking more machined, we wanted ours to look a little more soft and approachable.
IMAX Star Wars - The Force Awakens
This is the one that got away. As a Star Wars fan, I was very excited to work on the countdown for the reboot of the franchise. Below was our quick concepts for what the countdown could have been had the project been awarded.
One of the funnier comments found online for the IMAX Suicide Squad coutdown was:
"That 10 second countdown took 50 seconds...just sayin'."
50 seconds is needed to create a narrative story flow. In first person POV, we crafted a story where the viewer breaks out of Arkham Asylum, bursts into the city streets of Gotham, catches a helicopter ladder to pull in to the sky, only to see the classic IMAX logo (with a twist) particle dissipate at the end. An exciting ride to build energy into the start of the movie!
