Uwe and Gerrit create THX Sphere trailer

20 Nov Uwe and Gerrit create THX Sphere trailer

This summer, as he was just lounging and enjoying his life as an artist, Uwe got a very unexpected call from none other than THX themselves. After overcoming his first confusion, Uwe realised that that this was actually serious and they meant business. The people over at THX were impressed by the Way To The Nautilus Video, which was released only several month before.

The assignment was to create a thirty second animation in ultra high resolution with Dolby 7.1 audio, which contained all the elements that made earlier works of both gentleman such an amazing audio visual experience. To make things even more exciting, the deadline was set to one month, which is quite a short timespan for a project of this magnitude.

The idea of using minimal design elements was the base for the concept. After a short period of brainstorming, a rough animatic and style frames were build to visually describe the look and feel Uwe had in mind for the final animation. Since it was meant to be shown in a cinematic environment, his mind was set on creating a dark and sci-fi like atmosphere for the definitive version.

The original low resolution stereo version used for the proof of concept was created in a week, and was immediately accepted. This meant that the boys needed to get to work. Since there was a very harsh timeframe for the project, the usual way of going about things needed to be dropped completely, and an alternative parallel production process was adapted.

Uwe started working out the original wire frame animatic while at the same time Gerrit commenced recording the material necessary for completing a sound library fitting the objects on the screen. This way of working creates a lot of pressure, but is also very intuitive and leaves a lot of room for creativity if both parties are well adjusted to one another. Which of course was the case.

Gerrit recording a special blend of sound.

After four weeks of hard work and regular conferences with THX to exchange thoughts and receive feedback, the project was completed to full satisfaction on the client side. In order to get the audio up to par for 7.1 playback, Gerrit paid famous dutch sound designer and mixing engineer Herman Pieete a visit at Cinemeta in Amsterdam. Herman completely took the stereo mix apart and put her pack together in Dolby’s 7.1 format.

Gerrit and Herman at Cinemeta

Altogether the result can be described as a work of art on it’s own. It is unlike anything you will ever see in a cinema blockbuster setting. Surprising, yet eloquent. Esthetic, yet raw. A must see for any fan of modern digital art!

Timelapse video and recording of the trailer:

Extra information:

• THX
• Way To The Nautilus
• Herman Pieete
• Uwe Schweer-Lambers
• Gerrit Elbrink
• Cinemeta