FM19 Trailer

This was a massive job. Directed & produced by Unit 9 Films. I created the motion graphics, graphic design and VFX. Platform Post graded the footage, created the online edit as well as adding their own VFX work, in particular, the trophy shot at the end.

There was a whopping 30 shots that required motion graphics, VFX or design. It was a lot to get through with just 4 weeks to complete the job.

GUI Elements

The bulk of the work was integrating elements of FM19 game graphics into footage. I have good experience in this field – most notably when working with app builders to pre-visualise app designs before they get built and coded.

Future Proofing

The most interesting part of the job from a design aspect was designing how certain elements would look in the future.
Shot from the POV of a football manager, the film begins in 2036. The star of the video – the Wonderkid footballer – is retiring from an illustrious football career. Stood inside of his futuristic office, the manager turns on a Sky Sports news report of Wonderkid’s retirement ceremony and flicks it to the wall of his office.

Graphic Design

My roots as a motion designer come from graphic design so it was great to be in charge of the graphic design as well. For the magazine shot we made our own spoof football magazines with titles such as GOL, SoccerLad and Der Tur. Even Stafford Rangers and Finkenberg FC (Austria) gets a mention in the designs. So far SEGA haven’t recalled them.

We used soft body dynamics inside of C4D to create the falling magazines and rendered using Octane for a super glossy finish. I designed the magazine covers in Adobe Illustrator.

The shot of the Newspaper report 1:15s was another chance to get back to graphic design roots. The first headline we made; “WAT-THE-FORD” was shelved by the client. Platform Post composited the design onto footage of falling newspapers.

VFX elements

The retirement party shot was the most challenging from a VFX standpoint. Unit 9 filmed this in a private box at Watford’s ground however, we were forbidden to show any stadium in the background. After matte painting out the foreground figures we could blur out the background. Then we placed our graphics onto the windows, allowing us to further obscure the background and complete the shot.

Credits

I worked alongside the tireless Freddie Littlewood to bring this one home.