For Gatorade's "Inner Strong" campaign we were asked to create an animated journey into the mind of basketball phenomenon Hansel Emmanuel.
Narrated by his voice, our animated spot illustrates how Hansel turns inner struggle into inner strength.
We used an audio interview with Hansel to guide our storyboarding process.
His description of consciousness as an obstacle to maintaining focus immediately stood out: "You have to fight with your conscience, because that is the most difficult thing. Your consciousness."
After exploring multiple metaphors we decided to depict Hansel's concentration as a continuous line that is bent or distorted during moments of stress.
To create the feeling of a complex and dimensional inner world we utilized a variety of animation techniques ranging from traditional 2D animation, collage, and stop motion. We even found ourselves spray painting an anatomical model of a human heart in gold — an Unlimited Time Only first.
Illustration, Storyboarding, Animation
Creative Direction, Campaign
Sound Design, Audio Mastering