Project

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The Great Hack

The Great Hack

Year

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2019

2019


Category

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Design
Animation
CGI
Art Direction

Design
Animation
CGI
Editing



Synopsis

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The Great Hack is one of the most important documentaries in this era of rampant social media, as it exposes the technological invasion of privacy and the scandalous data manipulation against its unsuspecting users.

All of your data...

Epoch is a chance for me
to connect with my childhood dream
of becoming and astronaut.

...is used, bought, and sold.

Epoch is a chance for me
to connect with my childhood dream
of becoming and astronaut.

Process

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The Construct

What does the internet look like in a narrative form?  How do you show data  being bought, sold, and weaponized in an artful and meaningful way?  These were just a couple of the questions we had to consider and solve when manifesting this piece of the film, which I refer to as “The Construct.”  My main goal was to weave the line of art and data together into something that would be simultaneously informative and visually inspiring.

Process

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The Wormhole

All of the data which is collected, purchased, traded, and manipulated eventually takes the form of what we identified as "the Wormhole."  An endless tapestry of data that feeds into itself.  The Wormhole was one of the more challenging conceptual segments of the project.  My intention was for it to break our sense of scale and provide a glimpse into an alternate world beyond what we think of as inherent.  I wanted to give the viewer an impression of just how magnificently brilliant our collective data could look.

Process

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Style Frames

The key foundation to any project is a distinct vision.  Seeing the vision before production starts in the form of style frames helps the production run smoothly and helps guide the team to produce the best quality output.  Here are a few key style frames that we created to set the tone and mood for the project.

Process

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R&D

Every project starts with a simple idea.  However, it is the bridge between that initial idea and the final product in the creative process which is my absolute favorite phase... research and development.  I love learning new program languages and discovering ideas that can most effectively bring to light the concepts and ideas that live within my mind.  Here is an assortment of pivotal moments that I wanted to share, giving you a glimpse at the art, behind the art.

 The Construct is 
perpetually growing.

Epoch is a chance for me
to connect with my childhood dream
of becoming and astronaut.

Reality becoming data.

Epoch is a chance for me
to connect with my childhood dream
of becoming and astronaut.

Credits

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Design + Direction - Ash Thorp
Producer - Monica Thorp
Designer + Animator - Toros Kose
CGI Artist + Animator - Ryan Cashman
CGI Artist + Animator - Zaoeyo
Reel Music - Pavel Dovgal - The Drug

Directors - Jehane Noujaim & Karim Amer
Producer - Judy Korin & Pedro Kos

Special thanks

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We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the entire production on The Great Hack for having us on this journey.  It is a rare event to work on a piece of art that has such magnitude and importance to our era, and we are truly thankful for this experience.