The Mill’s team was brought on early in the process of this project, developing the shooting methodology, which contributed to a streamlined shoot and post-process.
The ending shot required the expertise of The Mill’s motion graphics team, led by Chet Hirsch, who tells us more about the technicalities behind this intricate shot. “We used particles in Form to turn around motion tests, which allowed us to quickly explore a range of possibilities.” Says Chet. “We looked at the reveal in both directions, tried different transition devices, and explored environments that were more graphic or more fantastic, but ultimately gravitated to a natural treatment. It felt best to be full frame with the characters and then pull back the entire distance required to turn that frame into a single grain of static. From there it was a matter of defining their environment in a way that didn’t distract or feel too sci-fi. I locked into the idea of memory, that each little pod of footage was a personal set of memories merging into a greater shared whole. This helped imbue a little magic into the love letter to classic video and HBO’s rich history that closes the spot.”