Fox Searchlight, Directed by Dome Karukoski

Dome Karukosi, asked us for a design which followed the film’s symbolism of good and evil, with light and shade.  The inspiration came from the toy magic lantern, that enchants the young Tolkien, as his mother reads to him. We use this carousel of fleeting shadows, to conjure up magical glimpses of abstract shapes, that gradually develop into more defined and recognisable characters and creatures from the fantasy world Tolkien was on the threshold of creating.  We created it by shooting a series of shadow elements and combined them with original illustrations and other digital effects. The animation was brought together mostly using  After Effects.