Young Ender Wiggin is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, a genocidal alien race which nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion.
post23 is responsible for the sequence called “The Mind Game” inside the movie Ender’s Game, working directly with Digital Domain, under the wing of Gavin Hood (Ender’s Game Director) and Matt Butler (VFX supervisor). Our aim was to design and produce this full CG sequence with a combination of high standard visual quality with a big content of art and design.
Job:
:: Character design and development: All characters
:: Mouse and Giant Animation and rig (based on Gavin Hood’s performance)
:: Environment design, concept art and look development.
:: 3D development, animation, liquids, FX&simulation, lighting&render
:: Compositing and Grading.
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:: Hair simulation, cloth, Character animation and Rig, by Digital Domain.
CREDITS:
Digital Effects Supervisor: Jordi García
Digital Effects Supervisor: Bor Arroyo
Digital Effects Supervisor: Alex Martin
Executive Creative Producer: Alex Maldonado
Executive Production Manager: Sergio Jiménez
Production Coordinator: Angee Marcazzan
International Producer: Esther Ruiz
Concept Art and Art Director: David Cabrera
3D Animation Supervisor: Hector Muñoz
Lighting TD: Daniel Alejo
Character TD: Vincenzo Leombruno
Character TD: Marco Romeo
Digital Effects Operator: Philipe G.Schibler
Digital Effects Operator: Miquel Corominas Pla
3D Modeler: Álvaro Gascó
3D Modeler: Rebeca Puebla
3D Artist: Miguel Miranda
3D Artist: Xavi Santed
3D Animator: Arnau Solà
3D Animator: Juan Couto
3D Animator: David Llopis
3D Animator: José A. Portillo
Digital Compositor: Lluisa Cuchillo
Digital Compositor: Albert García
Digital Compositor: Frankie de Leonardis
Digital Compositor: Quico Noizeaux
Accountant: Ely Aguilera
Developed by post23 and Vectorsoul, direction by Gavin Hood and Digital Domain.
“Building Ender’s World”
Design FX: Creating a Zero-G Battle Room for Ender’s Game
WIRED / Digital Domain
A signature sequence in Gavin Hood’s newest film Ender’s Game is the zero-G battle room, a place where the titular character played by Asa Butterfield trains in space. Hoping to create a sense of weightlessness, the filmmakers shot actors in a mix of harnesses and on wires against a greenscreen set.
MOTION GRAPHICS REEL
Ash Thorp
Role: Lead Motion Graphics designer, under the wing of : Production Designers Ben Procter and Sean Haworth, visual effects director Matthew Butler, and director Gavin Hood.
Starting in late 2011, I received the opportunity to join the creative team for Ender’s Game and continued off and on the project for about a year and a half in total. My main objective was to visualize the interface technology and then creatively design them into each unique scene of the film; this process involved everything from the more simple design of door latch actuators to the more massively complex setting of battle simulations. It was a very rewarding and challenging project and the biggest in my career at that time, since I was able to be involved in so many stages from pre-production meetings to the final modifications and edits of the film. From my early talks with Ben, Sean, Matthew, and Gavin, and then seeing my rough sketches manifest themselves onto the film screen was all an amazing experience. The images below vary greatly in time and design scale: some are unused concepts that didn’t make the final edit, some are style frames created to pitch ideas of the story, and others are actual moments or frames that got incorporated into the released film. All in all, I generated about 650+ Photoshop files and many pages of scribbles and notes, so this is only a glimpse into my journey on this incredible project.
Besides the wonderful experience and lessons learned from my involvement on this film, I met some amazing collaborators whom I am now so fortunate to call my friends. I would like to personally thank Ben Procter, Sean Haworth, Matthew Butler, G Creative, and Gavin Hood who took a risk on a young, passionate, newly established artist. Ender’s Game was the first feature film to help launch the beginning of my freelance design career, and I’m thankful for this blessing that helped open the door to many more feature film projects and creative opportunities since it started back in 2011.
Ash Thorp
Lead Graphics Designer
Jayse Hansen
Lead Motion Graphics Artist
Ryan Cashman
Motion Graphics Concept Animator
Navarro Parker
Motion Graphics Animator
Alasdair Willson
Motion Graphics Animator/Reel Title Animation
Paul Beaudry/G-creative
Lead Motion Graphics Artist
Franck Deron
Reel Edit
Gavin Hood
Film Directer
Matthew E Butler
Digital Domain VFX Supervisor
Ben Procter and Shawn Haworth
Production Designers
Gladys Tong
G-Creative Supervisor
MUSIC TRACK:
The Four Seasons / Recomposed by Max Richter (2/4)
Final compositing by Digital Domain and Goldtooth Creative