year
category
project
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concept art
key frame
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SONIC 3
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2023/2024
category
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Terraform Studio/Paramount Pictures
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The challenge was to develop concepts within a tight 2-3 day production window, moving quickly from script pages and reference material into production-ready visual directions. With very limited space for traditional exploration, the work focused on rapidly translating narrative intent into clear design decisions.
This required working less as a linear concept process and more as a continuous interpretation loop between written material and visual output - identifying not only what was explicitly described, but also the underlying tone and intent of each scene, often making directional choices before the full picture had fully formed.
Due to limited real-time communication across time zones, feedback cycles were delayed, shifting the process toward a more independent and anticipatory way of working.
Creatively, the goal was to establish a slightly darker tone than the previous film while maintaining a family-friendly balance, carefully calibrating atmosphere and contrast without breaking franchise expectations.
core challenge
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Design constraints were defined across three key layers of the production process.
Design constraints
Tonal balance played a central role, requiring a slightly darker visual direction that still remained within the established family-friendly tone of the Sonic films. The challenge was to evolve the mood without breaking franchise continuity.
Production reality was another key factor, particularly the relationship between physical set builds and their virtual extensions. This required constant awareness of scale, transition points, and how environments would practically be realized on set versus in CG.
Visual language was guided by a strong preference from the director towards a more painterly aesthetic. This led to a continuous balancing act between fast, production-ready 3D concept output and a more illustrative, atmospheric approach to keyframes and exploration.
selected final frames are shown below
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BELIEF
