Client: Animal Logic
Director: Alex Proyas
VFX Supervisor: Andrew Jackson
DMP: Daniel James Cox, Michael Halford, Ben Walker
This was a challenging but rewarding project for Animal Logic, where I worked alongside Michael Halford (later joined by Ben Walker) to create the matte painting assets for the film’s title sequence.
The sequence begins in Earth’s orbit, zooming down in a continuous shot to John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) and his son, stargazing from their backyard in Boston.
Challenges & Solutions
Since some shots began in daylight and transitioned to night, we had to create both day and nighttime assets to ensure a seamless transformation.
The only live-action plate provided was the final top-down shot of the house—everything else had to be designed and built from scratch.
To maintain continuity and ensure the illusion of a gradual zoom, we had to embed assets within each other, guiding the viewer’s perspective and depth perception.
After extensive research, we discovered that sports fields and airports provided effective visual cues for scale and motion. These elements were art-directed for both realism and clarity, ensuring the audience felt the gradual descent toward Earth.
All assets were created entirely in Photoshop, with careful attention to detail, perspective, and atmospheric effects to maintain the film’s cinematic realism.
Opening titles - stills
Shots
Additionally, I provided 2K digital matte paintings for several shots throughout the sequence, ensuring consistent environmental detail and cinematic depth.
