Universal HD challenged S4 with creating a promo that would
create excitement for the telecast and at the same time, drive home awareness
through music of what was going to happen if we don’t answer the SOS from our
planet, explains Kater. “It had to
convey a lot of information about each venue in a very short time.”
The piece opens on Morse code type, which rotates around to
reveal the Earth from space as a desert-like, pollution-covered globe. It then
flashes through a series graphics representing each host city. A rapid return
to space reveals a restored planet full of energy and plant life, with frozen
polar caps.
Presentation storyboards were created using Wacom’s Cintiq
interactive pen display and were then animated using NewTek LightWave 7 and
Adobe After Effects. Additional S4 Studios credits include artist/animator
Sarah Keturah, 3D modeler/animator Ken Wilder and 3D modeler Don McCoy.