Our main role with the motion graphics was to present screen content to keep the audience informed along the journey to find the identity of Q. We created a motion design style that paired digital forensics with a tactile look.
Following an online trail of crumbs to discover the identity of Q meant creating a clear presentation of the digital clues along the way.
Expertise
- Creative Direction
- Topic Research
- Graphics Treatment
- Motion Design
- Animation
- Visual Effects
An Online Mystery
Graphic Conventions
We delivered 413 Digital Forensics, 110 Character Chyrons, 45 Explainer Animations, 80 Location/Date Stamps and 9 Glossary terms for the final edit of the 6 episodes for a grand total of 651 final shots in the show. That took just under 5,000 hours from our team of 16 people.
Digital Forensics
The director, Cullen Hoback, wanted to find a way to treat all of the online clues in the docuseries in a tangible way. This breakdown shows the custom screen pixel effect that would blend seamlessly with the practical screen footage used throughout the show.
Creating a Timeline
Q made over 5,000 posts between 2017 and 2020 on the 4chan then 8chan platforms. Some posts came all in one day and other posts waited for a week of silence, but throughout that time, followers were collecting and analyzing posts to try and glean meaning during the current events they were experiencing. As the series progressed, it was important that viewers understood the history and timing of when Q posted and what context was surrounding them. We came up with a timeline graphic that we could revisit throughout the six episodes to help keep viewers on track.
Flaming Q
One shot called for a flaming, flying "Q", so we got to work using Turbulence FD to animate the 3D letter and set it ablaze. Here's a wire-frame breakdown to show how the plugin works.
The Power of Memes
It's not every day a client asks you to poorly composite a meme purely in the name of humor, but when we had the chance, we realized we've got a real future in meme-dom.