ABOUT

Check out the Art Of The Title feature for more info:

Ritual. Supernature. Memory. Visions. Salt. Gold. Smoke. Sex. Metal. Blood. Gods. Fire. Death. Honor. Family... and the Sea.

To develop the sequence we sought the haunting, ancient, fearsome, visceral part of us.

The Viking Part.

It began with music. Fever Ray's "If I Had A Heart" was our first move, and it became the soundtrack to our development, our pitch, and eventually the finished work. The sequence was inspired by a folktale found in The Sagas. That of the nine sisters, the goddesses of the waves, that would pluck Viking explorers from their ships and pull them to a sensual, dark, watery grave. The Vikings' relationship with death was built on honor, inevitability, sex, and the constant presence of gods pulsing through every grain of sand and swell of the ocean.

We follow the separation of a Viking from the living. He slips into darkness amongst ornaments of his life. Weaponry, gold and bone. His fading memory flickers throughout before he is consumed by one of the Sisters. He is left a shell below the waves before we learn he is not alone, but one of many sinking below the creeping surge of Viking raiders above. A fiery, massive raid assaults a darkened coast line.

The concept and visual was fleshed out in collaboration with Art Director Audrey Davis. The shoot took place in a pool and the beaches of Pre-Sandy New Jersey with a sturdy and dedicated small crew, led by DP Khalid Mohtaseb. Editors Ryan McKenna and Jessica Ledoux conquered my mountains of footage. The superb composite work was accomplished by Westley Sarokin, Danny Morris and Suzanne Dyer. Final color by the very talented Damien Van Der Cruyssen.

All live action and post production produced at The Mill.

CREDITS

Director: Rama Allen
Art Director: Audrey Davis

Head of Design Production: Danielle Amaral
Head of Content: Ian Bearce
Line Producer: Rich Schwab

Director of Photography: Khalid Mohtaseb
Second Unit DP: Adam Carboni



VFX Supervisor: Westley Sarokin
Lead Flame: Westley Sarokin & Danny Morris
Flame Artist: Suzanne Dyer
Nuke: Robert Bruce

CG
Leads: Sandor Toledo & Vince Baertsoen
Rubem Vanderbroek
Olivier Varteressian

Editor: Ryan McKenna
Assistant Editor: Jessica Ledoux

Color: Damien Van Der Cruyssen