Imaginary Forces solidifies the epic journey of the giant monsters of Guillermo Del Toro’s sci-fi blockbuster, Pacific Rim, with a striking main-on-end title sequence and main title sequence.
Los Angeles, CA --
Before audiences are returned to an existence bereft of mechanical annihilation, Imaginary Forces solidifies the epic journey of the giant monsters of Guillermo Del Toro’s sci-fi blockbuster, Pacific Rim, with a gallant main-on-end title sequence. The now-humanized monster infantry is portrayed with an aggrandized homage to their epic feats, with stylized shots of the characters alongside the equally bold and cinematic titles. The sequence heightens the intensity of the saga, amplified by a pounding track by Grammy-nominated film and television composer Ramin Djwadi, who is well known for his work for Iron Man as well as TV series “Game of Thrones” and “Prison Break.” Imaginary Forces handled the entire 2:30 3D end title sequence as well as a striking :27 main title sequence at the beginning of the film.
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.
To tackle a sequence for such a visually epic film, Imaginary Forces assembled a lean team to deliver a hands-on artistic approach in crafting a main-on-end title sequence that would appropriately conclude the action-packed, futuristic saga. Imaginary Forces director Miguel Lee led a small team of artists to craft a stereoscopic 3D sequence that would encapsulate the visceral and expansive presence of the film’s uniquely grotesque stars.
After presenting several idea concepts, the team immediately got to work on the chosen design, which would take viewers on a visual adventure through the character schematics. The team lit and stylized the 3D models from ILM in Maxon’s Cinema 4D and finished the look in Adobe After Effects. Notes Lee, “We wanted to create a hybrid look that blended a graphic novel aesthetic with macro-photographic techniques. The goal was to display the characters in a unique style and vernacular, while not diminishing their colossal presence already established in the film.”
The team mimicked photographic techniques in 3D to achieve the looks of the robots and creatures. The first step was to complete a single-eye version of the entire sequence that would then be converted into the stereoscopic 3D that appears in theaters. Lee and his team worked closely with Del Toro, collaborating to create an arc to the action of the sequence with the intrinsic excitement of the saga continually present. In addition to the main-on-end title sequence that appears at the end of the film, the Imaginary Forces team also crafted the 3D main title sequence, creating a memorable crumbling of a map that moves seamlessly into the intrepid title frame for Pacific Rim.
Source: Imaginary Forces
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
