CRITERION CHANNEL
Personal Project, 2022
My role: Concept | Storyboard | Look Development | Animation
Collaborator: Montana Siddle
Concept | Look Development | Animation
The Criterion Channel, owned by the Criterion Collection, is a streaming service dedicated to the restoration and publication of special edition films. It offers a curated selection of classic and contemporary movies from Hollywood and around the world, emphasizing titles not available elsewhere.
We wanted to evokes a cinematic atmosphere, showcasing a selection of classic films. The choppy fast pace style bridges the visual differences between these unique films, creating a unified and harmonious presentation that reflects the Criterion Channel's timeless and contemporary work.
Criterion Channel is a unique streaming service with over 1,000 classic and contemporary films from major studios and independent distributors. We chose to use grayscale and minimal colors to achieve a cohesive look that melds together the wide variety of films in their library.
COLLECTING SCENES
PROCESS
We began exploring Criterion's Library for captivating scenes, with a focus on character movements and overall composition. Our goal was to identify moments that were visually compelling and cinematic, ensuring that each shot carried the weight of the scene rather than relying on external elements. By carefully selecting these moments, we could shape the narrative around the visuals, letting the footage drive the story. The only limitation in this search was that the footage had to be from Criterion's collection, which offered a rich variety of stylistic and narrative possibilities to draw from.
Narrative
After researching and exploring the Criterion Collection, we chose three key call-to-actions: "Immerse Yourself," "Uncover Something New," and "Dive Deeper." Each CTA would be paired with a distinct motion style that complements the footage:
Immerse Yourself – Multiple scenes layered on top of one another, creating a sense of depth and immersion.
Uncover Something New – Footage sliding away to reveal something hidden beneath, symbolizing discovery.
Dive Deeper – A character diving through a scene, evoking the feeling of going further into the narrative.
Logo Reveal – A motion effect that moves left to right, gradually speeding up as a callback to Eadweard Muybridge's style of motion, evoking the essence of early cinematic experimentation.
Storyboard
We introduced a rectangle border within the main shot as a recurring motif throughout the video. This border gave us the flexibility to apply our established transition styles while seamlessly incorporating text in a non-intrusive way. With the video’s primary focus on the footage, we aimed to ensure the text blended naturally with the visuals, and the frames helped achieve this balance. The rectangles provided a cohesive structure, allowing the text to integrate smoothly with the footage without drawing attention away from it.
MOTION TESTS
Using pre-comps and easing, we made the text move dynamically, maintaining a constant sense of motion throughout the video. The rectangle border provided flexibility to scale and contrast scenes, adding variety and enhancing the visual flow. Additionally, we incorporated textures and secondary elements in constant motion, giving the piece a tactile, paper-like feel that reinforced the overall sense of movement.
