Culver City/Vancouver-based visual effects house Zoic Studios casts kinetic silhouettes on video game stars of all stripes for the ‘attract opening cinematic’ in the highly anticipated PlayStation video game title PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale™ for SuperBot Entertainment in conjunction with Sony Santa Monica Studio. The crossover fighting video game allows four players to brawl it out with characters from various PlayStation franchises including God of War®, PaRappa the Rapper® and Sly Cooper®, as well as third-party franchises such as BioShock®. Zoic Studios Creative Director Levi Ahmu crafted the overall design for the 2:27 attract cinematic, which went live online on November 8, 2012. The trailer has received over 640,000 views and over 25,000 shares with 95% positive feedback on YouTube alone.
The game is now available exclusively on both the PlayStation®3 and PlayStation® Vita systems and has an ESRB rating of “T” for Teen.
PlayStation and SuperBot called upon Zoic to create an attract cinematic for the highly-anticipated game that would authentically represent all of the various characters and their signature fighting styles, while still incorporating the PlayStation brand.
An avid gamer, Ahmu was excited to get his hands on such beloved characters from such a wide range of game titles. He heavily researched the specific in-game movements and nuances of each featured character to make the viewer feel as if they had just stepped out of the game. With each of the characters having divergent visual qualities, Ahmu created an aesthetic that would streamline their looks while still allowing a good impression of each character. He tied in the familiar PlayStation flowing blue ribbons in the background and cast the characters in drawn silhouettes. As each character began their dynamic action, one of their signature traits is highlighted in various fluorescent hues.
Notes Ahmu, “We worked with SuperBot to develop the high-contrast visual style you see in the trailer. It uses color against monochromatic blue tones to highlight the unique attributes of each character—all against a background reminiscent of PlayStation’s flowing ribbon-like aesthetics.”
About Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California, which creates computer-generated special effects for film, television, commercials and video games.
“Visual Evolution” is their mission: to evolve the story, art, and technology of the moving image, and through this evolution, broaden the audience for everything they work on.
Zoic’s accomplished artists and producers understand story, process, technique and relationships. Their team has a proven track record of success in a range of media including episodic, film, commercials and gaming. Masters in the fields of 3D, Compositing, and Production Management, their elite reputation attracts additional talent and encourages a strong work ethic. Zoic’s relationships with its clients are deep and long lasting. The company is known for results-driven excellence in all endeavors.
Credits:
Client: SuperBot Entertainment, in coordination with Sony Santa Monica Studio
VFX: Zoic Studios
Executive Creative Director: Chris Jones
Executive Producer: Cindy Airey
Head of Production: Ian Unterreiner
Producer: Alex Serrano
Post Production Coordinators: Lori Talley, Chelsea Miller
CG Supervisor: Andy Wilkoff
Creative Director: Levi Ahmu
Modeling: Jason Monroe, Dustin Mellum
Rigging: Scott Rosekrans, Richard Akuna, Abel Salazar
Lighting: Andy Wilkoff, Brian White, Dave Funston
Compositor: Jason Bergman
Particles/Dynamics: Matt Hightower, Tom Lynnes
Editorial: Zoic Studios
Editor: Alison Veneto-Grady