We collaborated with R/West on this hilarious new Jackpot Scratch-Its spot, ‘More Than a Feeling’. In pre-production we helped develop the look, plan the shots with the director, and edit together the animatic storyboard and VFX pre-visualization. In order to achieve more realism and maintain the oddity, we went with both practical and digital effects. The background, for instance, was designed, illustrated and printed on vinyl. Once it was filmed, we cleaned up imperfections and added light effects to the wall. Little green screen was used – just three shots in all.

The KISS-like rock sign was modeled in 3D Studio Max and animated in Maya. We chose CGI signage over a practical prop, since it allowed more creative control in the animation stage and saved headaches during the filming, but it had to look ultra-realistic. We couldn’t have any green screen in the background due to smoke and lighting effects, which meant rotoscoping and maintaining the overhead lights during the composite. All tested before filming.

We got a kick out of creating the head opening sequence. Our original pitch was using a real head prop and placing tracking markers on the actor’s forehead. After presenting several test shots we unanimously decided to keep the head flip effect simple, which added to the comical gag.

Client: Oregon State Lottery
Agency: R/West
VFX studio: Deep Sky
Supervisor: Jared Hobbs
VFX artist: Andrew Lavier
CGI artist: Adrian Grey
3D modeling: Michael Johnson
Illustrator: Aaron Humphres
AE Artist: Nolan Lorch