Think. Believe. Jump. Create.
Client: Viasat World
Jump was contacted by Viasat World to help them create a promo for a podcast called ‘Forbidden History’. The series would look into dark and forgotten moments in history.
Nigel Doylerush – Creative Producer at Viasat World:
“We wanted to invite our audience to immerse themselves in a world of dark history. It needed to be clear that this was a podcast so we had to avoid any of the stock images or footage that are so familiar in our history TV shows.
We asked Jump to pitch a treatment of a fully animated world based around 3 of the most compelling stories from the series. We wanted it to feel alive and reactive to the voiceover, music and sound design.
So we were delighted with Jump’s ambitious particle treatment.”
Harry Handyside – Art Director at Jump:
“The promo is for an audible medium so we chose particles as a visual style to reflect audio. We used them to bring historical stories to life in a way that reflected acoustic waves. Just as sound waves change and flow into each other – so do the particles that are bringing our dark historical stories to life. We kept the lighting dark and moody to suit the subject matter.”
Russell Mann – Technical Director at Jump:
“We used Cinema 4D and X-particles to create a 3D visual audio wave that formed the featured objects, landmarks and people within the sequence. Most of the objects were created in 3D as a base for the particles but some were actually just 2D images. The particles were textured and coloured by the image and driven by an array of dynamic forces to form and break them up. Some sequences were made in reverse, which made the timings tricky. Everything was layered and composited in After Effects.
Using X-particles for all of the animation in a promo of this scale was a new venture for us. Rather than traditional keyframed animation, most of the movement is created by dynamic controls such as wind and gravity. There is a big element of experimentation to get what you want.
The audio for the promo was supplied by our client and was needed right at the beginning of the process before we edited. The sound track was literally creating some of the movement.”
The sequence recently picked up a Silver in the Eyes and Ears of Europe Awards 2022 in the Best 2D / 3D animation category.
Jump has previously worked with Viasat World on The Abyss – Rise and Fall of the Nazis.
