Valorant Champions Tour 2023

Valorant is a Tactical Hero Shooter played by millions of fans around the world. In 2022 Riot Games approached GrandArmy looking for a fresh look for their upcoming Valorant Champions Tour. 

I was fortunate enough to lead our team’s motion approach; to develop the motion language for the broadcast package, as well as build the After Effects toolkit. 

This broadcast toolkit was built using Adobe After Effects’ robust Essential Properties system, which allowed us to build dynamic and flexible animations that can be redesigned and rearranged easily and instantly. It’s all expression based and keyframe-able, and includes customizable countdown timers and responsive text boxes.

Agency: GrandArmy
Client: Riot Games
Creative Direction: Eric Collins
Design: Tristan Hanks, Tristan Dubin, Natalie Patane, Matt Morgantini, Simran Singh, Alek Blik
Producers: Luke Proctor, Ezra Lewis
Animation: Ian Crane, Dennis Moore, Burton Booz
3D Design:  Ian Crane, Hampus Lideborg, Steven Guas
 

September, 2023

Virgin Orbit x Supercluster: Airlaunch Explained

Virgin Orbit is on a mission to make space more accessible through AirLaunch — a transformative new launch system capable of launching a rocket from anywhere on Earth.

Supercluster was asked to help explain what sets Airlaunch apart. We created a short film that explains the history and future of Airlaunch, and the impact this technology will have on the rapidly expanding New Space economy.

Using a mix of hand-drawn cel animation, stop motion, and archival footage, we make the case that 35 thousand feet in the air might just be the best place to launch a rocket.

Agency: Supercluster
Creative Direction/Design: Michael Stone, Tim Mele
Illustration: Tim Mele, Michael Stone
Animation: Ian Crane, Tim Mele
Music: Ari Trautmann
  
View full case study ☞ here

August 3rd, 2020

Sandbox Films

Sandbox Films is a documentary studio focused on the scientific world with a small, passionate team. Defined by “A Culture of Questioning,” they’ve released some of recent years’ most memorable science documentaries, including Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds, directed by Werner Herzog, and All Light, Everywhere, directed by Theo Anthony; the latter film even won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Nonfiction Experimentation at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.  

Agency: GrandArmy
Creative Direction: Lauren King
Design: Lauren King, Joe Haddad, Mai Saito
Animation: Ian Crane, Mai Saito
 
🏆 The animation won a 2020 Type Directors Club award in the Motion/TV/Visual Design category. 🏆

View full case study ☞ here

February 16th, 2021

Analog:Shift Brand Animation - ‘Stealing Time Itself’

“Stealing Time Itself” is a new, animated short heist film GrandArmy created for Analog:Shift. Basically, we got the team back together for one, last, big score…

Flying cars, Extend-O-Guns, robotic sharks… this project was an absolute delight to work on. This is all thanks to an incredible team of wickedly talented artists, a deeply passionate client with a film degree and an Ice Station Zebra poster, a saxophone-bearing synthwave band swooping in like superheroes to score the piece, and a supporting team of account managers and producers that made this even possible.

Client: Analog:Shift
Agency: GrandArmy
Creative Direction & Writing: Larry Pipitone, Joey Ellis, Joe Haddad, Michael Stone, Ben Gallegos
Design/Illustration: Ben Gallegos, Tristan Dubin, Joe Haddad, Natalie Patane
Animation: Ben Gallegos, Ian Crane, Simon Ampel, Keenon Ferrell, Peter Ahern
Music: The Midnight
Sound design: Hyperbolic Audio
Producers: Luke Proctor and Jinhee Kim
Account Managers: Sterling Diaz, Daniella Ramirez, & Corey Phifer

June 16th, 2022