Playgrounds BLEND - 2022 Opening Titles

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After combining stop motion with Zoom for the 2020 Playgrounds BLEND titles, we once again wanted to give a classic animation technique a spin for the 2022 titles. This time, the titles are based on a thaumatrope: a disc with two images on either side, that creates the illusion of a third image when spun around fast enough. With a rockstar team and little over three weeks time, we got to work!

Using camera motion to recreate the thaumatrope effect, we move faster and faster through the same three environments until they appear to blend together and a new image forms. It's BLEND at its most literal – but beyond just the name, we set out to capture the spirit of the post-digital festival too, by referencing a mix of both analogue and digital art forms throughout that ultimately blending into something new. The result is a highly conceptual, design-driven film that started the festival off with a bang!