HUDL Focus | Epipheo
Hudl Focus was such a fun, energetic video to work on! I’m not a huge sports-person, but when Epipheo was tasked to make a hype video for their outdoor camera, I knew I wanted to go for a full-on Friday Night Lights vibe. To set the stage and context for the user experience, it was important to me that we use high-quality live-action footage alongside 2D and 3D animation to elevate the product.
Animatic
After developing the script and early beats with my creative director, Rachel Guastella, I began to find and edit stock footage to create a rough cut for the animators to follow. It was important to lock-in timing for the 3D components so we knew exactly what scenes would be needed and for how long.
I also wanted the footage to be edited very closely with the music beats, so we recorded VO and did a rough cut of the music with the composer early on. For the music direction, I wanted to mix trap with marching band-inspired horns to capture that pre-game hype. In this animatic is a very close cut of the VO and the first draft of the original final music.
Animation
3D
As soon as we had the timing locked, I handed off the 3D sections to Noah Stinson, our 3D animator, who used a model we had received from the client. Working with him we laid out all of the 3D scenes and exported them to pass over to our motion designer.
2D
I loved figuring out how to incorporate Hudl’s strong diagonal branding with the stock footage. Using large color block masks and thin stroke details, David Clark, our motion designer was able to take the stock footage I had found to create striking overlays that helped tie in both the brand and Varsity action.
Hudl Focus Indoor & Outdoor
After the success of the first video for their outdoor camera, we were asked to make a second one that showcased both the indoor and outdoor cameras together and the Hudl Assist feature that allowed coaches to see post-game data and reports from the AI in the camera.
Hudl Assist Style
To showcase the AI of the Hudl Assist feature, we needed to develop a sophisticated looking HUD to overlay on the stock-footage. By keeping the designs very thin and condensed around the borders of the footage, we kept the designs elevated and vaguely reminiscent of the real statistics coaches would see in the app.
Style done by David Clark
Credits
Client: HUDL
Directed by: Epipheo
Creative Direction: Rachel Guastella
Art Direction: Katie Sung Lee
Producer: Erin McIntire
2D Animation: David Clark
3D Animation: Noah Stinson
Music and SFX: Alex McKenzie
VO: Eli Harris