Element is a forward thinking and sustainable brand specializing in skateboard products. As their brand has modernized and expanded into the mainstream, their unique selling point of sustainability has been diluted and mostly forgotten.

I created a 30 second brand video to breathe new life into the brand, and increase recognition by heavily emphasizing their environmental values.

I presented two concepts and mood boards to the client, both laser focused on telling the story of Element’s unique sustainable approach.

The client agreed to move forward with my Ghibli and Arcane inspired concept. These visuals would be accompanied by a scripted interview with a prominent Element personality, whether it be their ceo, or one of their pro-skaters.

Both the script and storyboard went through numerous revisions and changes throughout the project. Many shots in the initial storyboard were removed in preference of concise and intentional scenes that told Element's story.

To achieve a painterly Ghibli style, the textures had to be custom made with Adobe Substance Painter. I set up base colours and added filtered layers to give the textures stylized complexity.

I reworked a pre-existing character rig and added inverse kinematics for easier animation of the limbs. A custom rig was also set up for the skateboard to manage the rotation of the wheels, trucks, deck, etc.

The animation was completed in passes, starting with a rough animatic, then a general block-out of each animated movement, an Animation V1, rendered with lighting and colours, and ultimately the final animated and rendered deliverable.