Microsoft Surface Animation - The making of “Infinite Possibilities”

We thought we’d give a glimpse behind the scenes of the making of the Surface video. The video serves as a showcase piece for the Silverlight video players we post and this spot introduces you to the gurus who create the magic.

Client: Internal
Title:  “Infinite Possibilities”
Artists:
Aaron Mustamaa
    Concept / Storyboarding / Direction / Compositing / SFX
John Einselen
    3D Environment Animation Pipeline / Matte Painting / Compositing
Anthony Denha
    Additional Animation / Production Assistance
Victor Fohrme
    3D Character Animation Pipeline

Creative Direction:  “It’s all about placement.”

We knew ahead of time that the virtual environment we chose to create for Infinite Possibilities would have to fully acknowledge the places where the Microsoft Surface would be positioned in the real world.  Since the Surface computer is all about the next generation of a user’s interaction with the environment, we began by researching the Surface computer’s interaction in culture.    From our observations, the places where you might see an actual surface computer in action tended to be bars, restaurants, hotel lobbies, casinos, and the like, which are all places that are usually very loud and chaotic.  When it came time to choosing an environment, we decided to produce a concept that would be a departure from the chaotic nightlife and entertainment realm, into a pure organic environment: one that was quiet, serene, and even Zen.   We felt this would provide a foil to the typical user experience, and expand the possibilities of the Surface’s commercial placement and application development.   The simple water ripple application that comes installed on the surface computer led us to the idea of a waterfall, then the natural environment, and finally, to the overall narrative and direction.  It was kind of like reverse-engineering.   Ironically, somewhere along in production, we realized that the Surface’s logo happened to contain the infinity symbol, so we used this concept to develop the title, Infinite Possibilities, as well as the final logo animation.  In the end, our creative goal was to visually demonstrate that this is only the beginning of the Surface’s infinite possibilities and power.
Aaron Mustamaa
Motion Graphics Designer, Vectorform

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