Culver City-based visual effects shop Zoic Studios zooms into the journey of an ecstasy pill in the sinister show open for Season 3, Episode 2 of Cinemax’s original action series, “Banshee.” The special opening sequence appears only on the “Snakes and Whatnot” episode, which first aired on Friday, January 15th.
The concept of the shot came from show creator Jonathan Tropper, who envisioned a first person narrative depicting the genesis of the illicit drugs being produced on the show, similar to the “Life of a Bullet” main title sequence from Lord of War to open the episode. Showrunner Greg Yataines was excited about the idea, but instead proposed the concept of positioning it as a special title sequence. With this approach in place, director and show Co-Executive Producer Loni Peristere and Zoic VFX Dave Funston got to work storyboarding and previsualizing the sequence. They then collaborated with Tin Punch, the studio that created the regular main title sequence, to incorporate the Polaroids and titles, crafted by Tin Punch Creative Director Jason Yaitanes, that are in the regular open in flash moments throughout the journey of the pill. Funston shot all of the GoPro elements in the sequence and later went on to oversee all of the CG. Zoic’s Wes Kandel consulted with the design and juxtaposition of the elements, while Tyler Nathan composited all of the elements together to weave the main Season 3 title sequence with the narrative of the special open.
About Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California, and Vancouver, B.C. Our team has a proven track record of success, crafting innovative visual experiences for film, television, advertising, video game and interactive projects.
“Visual Evolution” is our mission: to advance the story, art, and technology of the moving image. Masters in the fields of design, animation, compositing, and production management, Zoic’s reputation attracts rising talent and encourages a strong work ethic.
Zoic prioritizes research and development in service of constant creative growth, from in-house virtual production to real time rendering using game engine technology.
Credits:
Title Concept: Jonathan Tropper, Greg Yaitanes, Loni Peristere
Title Design: Jason Yaitanes, Tin Punch Media
VFX Supervisor: Dave Funston
Compositing Supervisor: Tyler Nathan
Compositing Lead: Wes Kandel
3D Artist: Scott Rosekrans
2D Artist: Dayna Mauer
Producer: Laura Livingstone
Chelsea Miller: Coordinator