Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535742
30 KEYFRAME In one version of a musical sequence to the song "Soda Pop," the story team began with surreal, larger-than-life soda can visuals. But by the final iteration, they landed on a more grounded version. It showed rival demon band the Saja Boys onstage winning over a crowd, stealing HUNTR/X's fans. The result was a sequence that simultaneously captured a height- ened K-pop performance and kept the narrative going. KEEPING IT REAL In the early design stages, Kang and Appelhans had a clear aesthetic in mind. "A keystone question was always: 'Does this look as cool and glamorous as a K-pop performance?'" says Appelhans. "But the other side of it was: 'Does this look real?'" For the idols' flashiest, most heightened designs, they referenced traditional Korean textile patterns and hairstyles, updating them with modern silhouettes. But when the idols were chilling on their days off, Kang wanted them to have a make-up-free look. The film's climax hinges on Rumi, the main idol, learning to be honest about her flaws, so having some "real" looks throughout the film was important. Production Designer Dave Bleich and Art Director Wendell Dalit emphasized this further in their lighting choices. They looked to K-dramas, where soft, minimalist lighting makes characters appear flawless and perfect, de-emphasizing anything they might want hidden. But in the climactic battle- slash-performance scene, the lighting shines, showing the unadorned Rumi to the world. Along with lighting, the team leaned into color, to distinguish between the idols' magic and the demons'. They also approached it as a tool for recreating the visual language of K-Pop. Live music direction and music videos have color stories. The whole design team studied relentlessly to get it right. "We've all been to concerts," says Bleich. "You have all these colors flashing, but when you think about how to tell a story, you have to strip specific colors away to make the narrative clear." To achieve this look they wanted, they even tried new production strategies. Dalit is used to painting over still images, but for the concert sequences, he had to paint color over moving footage and extend keyframes to make sure the color design stayed dynamic throughout the sequence, moving in time with the characters and the music. 30 KEYFRAME "A KEYSTONE QUESTION WAS ALWAYS: 'DOES THIS LOOK AS COOL AND GLAMOROUS AS A K-POP PERFORMANCE?'" —CHRIS APPELHANS F E AT U R E above: When HUNTR/X isn't selling out stadiums, they don their hunter gear to protect their fans from demons; opposite page: Color keys by Visual Development Artist Nacho Molina served as the visual groundwork for the film's opening scene, introducing HUNTR/X performing for their fans.