The Great Hack

THE_GREAT_HACK

2019

Art Direction / Direction / Design / Editing

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.

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Selected Frames

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Selected Frames

Moving image / Silent loop

The Great Hack / Selected Frames — study 4 — 04 / Selected Frames

The Great Hack / Selected Frames — study 5 — 05 / Selected Frames

The Great Hack / Selected Frames — study 6 — 06 / Selected Frames

The Great Hack / Selected Frames — study 7 — 07 / Selected Frames

The Great Hack / Selected Frames — study 8 — 08 / Selected Frames

The Great Hack / Selected Frames — study 9 — 09 / Selected Frames

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Form Studies

01 / 08

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Form Studies

The Great Hack / Form Studies — study 3 — 03 / Form Studies

The Great Hack / Form Studies — study 4 — 04 / Form Studies

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“My main goal was to weave the line of art and data together.”

Ash Thorp / The Great Hack ↗

Moving image / Silent loop

Further studies

The Great Hack / 05

Form Studies

01 / 08

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Form Studies

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.

Ash Thorp

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Surface Detail

01 / 08

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Surface Detail

01 / 08

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Design Process

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Design Process

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Selected Frames

01 / 08

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Selected Frames

Project notes & credits ＋

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.

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.

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.

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

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.