Red Bull Media Base decided to shake up the music world with an old school style battle. This Culture Clash duel brought four major music crews together in Atlanta, zeroing in on the heaviest sounds, best tunes, MC tactics, creative presentation and crowd participation. Talk about a massive musical battleground! Our job was to create a visually stimulating web trailer, something that would immediately bring the viewers back to the good ol’ 90s.

Aiming for a unique look, we wanted to imbibe the 90’s decade AND the gaming world; not a typical combo, but one that is bold and memorable. This 90-second, high def video would introduce the format of the event, the crews involved, and other details. Like a lot of our projects, we were on a tight deadline, coordinating with artist approvals and management, but we loved the challenge. With only 10 days to complete the video, we needed to create 12+ screens, which would usually require a little under a month to design and animate. While this sounds nearly impossible, the team totally hacked the creation process with their lightning speed.

We broke this project up into three parts: conception, design, and animation. Once we were immersed in the project’s universe and understood what the client wanted, we gathered a variety of visual references. This included everything from Major Lazer to 90’s gaming favorites such as Street Fighter. To make sure our direction aligned with the client’s vision, we initially created a storyboard for them. Once we got their approval, we went ahead and worked on individual illustration boards. Using four made-up characters to represent the crews (Mike Will Made-It, WondaGurl, Wizkid, and Popcaan), each one would possess a superpower. The idea was to have them flying across the screen, showing off their skills.

One of the reasons why this project flowed so smoothly is due to the client. They were able to provide constant and specific feedback that helped guide our process. Communication is the key to creative collaborations! While this client was not a part of the gaming universe, they were fans of what we had created for gaming brands. It’s cool when our favorite worlds get to collide.

Even amidst design changes and additional needed screens, the team was able to finish the project in time. The client was so appreciative of our hard work and fell in love with the final result. While the timeline seemed pretty daunting, it brought out the team’s creative magic. Our animated characters aren’t the only ones with superpowers! Another round, another victory for us. Go, team!