How Final Frontier Orchestrated an Epic Intergalactic Battle for Acer

Final Frontier's new collaboration with We Are Social Shanghai is an intergalactic battle epic promoting Acer's Predator range of gaming hardware, directed by Paulo Garcia and Zombie Studio.

The concept needed to specifically sell the Predator range's unique heat-battling technology, tackling a common problem for hardcore gamers. To that end, Final Frontier executive producer Gus Karam worked alongside We Are Social from the outset to shape the storyline.

Story

Amid the human race's colonisation of the galaxy, in one of the darkest, most wretched recesses of the universe, planet ZB-02 has been ravaged and occupied by the vile alien race, the Go'Re. Made of fire and sustained by molten heat, the Go'Re travel from planet to planet, purging the land and drilling into the planet's core to release the searing temperatures that nourish them, indiscriminately slaughtering anything they encounter along the way. After centuries of destruction, the humans decide to reclaim ZB-02 and cleanse it of the Go`re.

Development

Garcia and his team were behind the character and world design, the 3D modelling, animation, and the visual effects. He explains his passion for the project: “We relished the opportunity to create this world and be part of this fantastic narrative that we humans are reclaiming a colony planet.”

Environment concept sketch

Planning the battle

Colour Keys

The director adds: “The challenge was to bring the creatures and humans to the screen as realistically as possible, making sure they would all move in a believable way, developing fight choreography, understanding how each of the lava tribe characters would move, attack, and how each hero would join the battle in a collaborative way to ensure victory.”

The Humans

The human tribe comprises five characters, each inspired by a specific ACER computer. Though the characters existed as 3D models prior to the campaign, Zombie upgraded their armour, weapons and model structures.

TRITON

HELIOS

ORION

X-27

CESTUS

The Go'Re

Zombie designed the initial Go're monster designs as part of the pitch, and ultimately evolved them into fully rigged and shaded 3D models. They are split into three categories of warrior: Gun'Thar, Gorgon and Gaomuth.

Size Guides

Gun'Thar（the ‘Light Infantry’）

These monsters are ferocious warriors, with deadly blades attached to their wrists and legs designed for speed, and a big mouth to decimate their prey. They are fast, strong and merciless creatures that fight to the death.

Gorgun (the ‘Middle Infantry')

Lava runs through the veins of these massive, deadly creatures, maintaining a core temperature as hot as a volcano. His body is dense with skin that feels like heated stone, but reacts like an organic tissue. Unlike anything found on Earth.

Gaomuth（the’Tank’)

Hell itself. These creatures feed at the molten core of the planet, becoming gigantic in size. They live underground, carving lava rivers with their claws. Garcia says: “My favourite scene is the big monster revelation, when Gaomuth appears like a boss. When we see our heroes defeat him so easily, the message we're sending about the Predators really hits home.”

Production

From the outset, Gus worked closely with the agency and director to establish feasibility for the 3D design and production process. He explains: "It was a fantastic experience working with the We Are Social team and Paulo while the concept was still in the embryonic phase. Working together at that stage, it was truly a partnership, in which our experience and insight could really help from both a creative and a production standpoint. It meant we could foresee the challenges ahead, ensured a really smooth process and, most importantly, led to a spectacular result.”

Animatic

The live action shoot took place over one day in the southern Brazilian city Curitiba, seeing Final Frontier leverage its South America network to assemble the production crew. Gus says: “There are so many benefits to shooting in Brazil and Latin America. Final Frontier is one of the few companies positioned in Asia to make such international production possible, in this case connecting, China and Taiwan with South America.”

All in, the production took 4-months from conception to delivery.

VFX Preview

Outcome

Gus paid tribute to Garcia and the team at Zombie, saying, “Working with Paulo and Zombie was a great experience. Their impeccable direction and execution ensured the final piece was something special."

Full Credits

Agency - We Are Social

Group Creative Director - Khlauss Feldhaus

Creative Director - Jason Breen

Group Account Director - Nathan Baker

Account Manager - Kristina Knut

Producer  - William Yang

Client approval - Wolfgang Hsu

Production Company - Final Frontier

Executive Producer - Gustavo Karam, Julieta Zajaczkowski, Chris Colman

Producer  - Marcio Lovato

Live Action Executive Producer - Felipe Claudino

Line Producer - Enzo Balbinot

Animation Studio - Zombie Studio

Director - Paulo Garcia

Creative Director - Daniel Salles 

Studio Executive Producer - Natalia Gouvêa 

Producer - Antonela Castro, Leticia Harumi

Account Services - Stefanie Dias 

Production Director - Nayla Kols 

Concept Artist  - Estevão Teuber, Feppa Rodrigues, Marcelo Garcia, Anna Caiado, Marcelo Fahd 

Storyboard - Saulo Brito, Marcelo Fahd 

CG Supervisor CG- Yohann da Geb 

Lead Compositor - Yohann da Geb 

Composition - Gustavo Rangel Adriana Cardozo Wallan Oliveira 

Look Development / Lighting - Claudio Junior, Thiago Peyon, Mauricio Gomes, Mauricio Alvarenga, Gustavo Rangel 

Editor - Yohann da Geb 

Color Grading - Psycho n' Look

Modelling - Mauricio Sampaio, Danilo Gerard, Steferson Rocha, Tiago Oliveira 

Set Dressing  - Tiago Oliveira 

Digital Matte Painting  - Adriana Cardozo 

Rigging - Kippcase Rigging Studio 

Animation Director - Bruno Monteiro 

Animators - Conrado Testa, Francisco Catão, Michel Denis Da silva, Matheus Caetano, Rodrigo Dutra, Marcos Elias, Igor Copelli, Hanrry Pschera, Bruno Santos, Christian Weckl, Leonidas Maciel 

Technical Supervisor CGI CGI- Wallan Oliveira

Assembler Animation - Lucas Mirkai

FX Artist - Guilherme Casagrande Marco Melantonio

Cloth Simulation - Gustavo Rangel

Crown Simulation - Wallan Oliveira

Motion - jhony.tv

Music & Sound Production - Cachorro Loco

Composer - Facundo Capece 

Sound design - Lola Richter