ABOUT

When award-winning game specialists Maverick Media came to JAMVFX with a cutting edge creative idea, we were tasked with helping to design and create an epic, awe-inspiring film, aimed at engaging with a worldwide, tech-savvy audience – and celebrating the 72 new arrivals in Pokémon GO, now in its 6th Generation.

Working closely with Maverick’s Joe O’Connor and Shirley Bumaguin, JAMVFX’s artists were required to craft a brand new Pokémon truck that delivers ‘PokéBalls’ across the world during the festive holiday season, gifting them to end-users through ‘in-game’ activations. These prominently branded, highly detailed trucks are fully loaded at a depot in Callos, and, after departing at dusk, travel to well known global destinations (London, New York, Berlin, Seoul) unloading their cargo at designated ‘PokéStops’ along the way.

High definition, licensed video footage of our various destinations was carefully selected and edited to form the outline of our story. Most of this footage was then digitally customised for our narrative – via matte painting – allowing us to add snow, festive lights, atmosphere, and to show each ‘PokéStop’ being filled up by our trucks on their journey around the globe. These trucks were lit, textured and animated under the supervision of JAMVFX’s Lead 3D Artist Ton Bartroli before being delicately composited in Flame.

The initial teaser and depot shots were built totally in CGI. We decided this approach was less restrictive, as it allowed us full dexterity in controlling camera angles, animation and four diverse environments, plus it allowed us the freedom to sync our timings to fit the story seamlessly.

CREDITS