From the drama of a darkened theater comes a compelling project driven by the imagination of Devastudios and the creative execution of Engine Room VFX. A rusted set of gears and weathered gates set an eerie tone for the Lionsgate open that will precede the studios' horror genre theatrical and DVD releases.
This collaboration is the second in a series of theatrical opens for Lionsgate Films, concepted by Devastudios ringleader John Berlin, and created in photorealistic CG detail by the team at Engine Room VFX. The multi-version project presented Engine Room with the opportunity to create a piece that would potentially be seen on every Lionsgate release for decades to come and this long-lasting impression inspired the team to explore leading creative and technical execution options for the package.
The Horror open - which began screening this month -- is the perfect complement to the already-completed flagship open, which also use the metaphor of gears to relate the magical inner workings of Lionsgate Entertainment.
"When Tim Palan of Lionsgate entrusted Devastudios with the design the new LGF brand, we were honored when John then turned to Engine Room to produce the physical execution of the project," says Engine Room Owner Dan Schmit. "We pride ourselves as an accessible creative collaboration resource for other companies, so I was thrilled to see how our two boutiques beautifully mixed talent, hardware and ideas. The new LGF open was truly the right kind of project for us; high profile, great clients and a large degree of technical challenge, which we always thrive on. Rarely do we have the opportunity to put so much into twenty seconds of film."
To craft the project, Engine Room's CG team, helmed by Andrew Honacker, pre-visualized the open for client Devastudios and then used a cadre of talent and technology including Maya, After Effects and Turtle to model, light, animate, render and comp the churning gears and gates. The result is an arresting and iconic branded open for Lionsgate that is sure to grab the attention of viewers everywhere.
Images: Courtesy of Devastudios