Daily Planet recently completed the 2009 Chicago Blackhawks Hit the Ice in-game video and the folks there were kind enough to answer some questions about the process. Be sure to check out their other great work.

Chicago Blackhawks – 2009 Game Opener from Brad Chmielewski on Vimeo.

Daily Planet ltd. is a Chicago based editing and motion graphics studio. Recent works have included design, visual fx, claymation and cgi for local and national commercial advertising campaigns, broadcast television shows, music videos, web-based viral media campaigns, and brand identity packages.

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You’ve worked on the Blackhawks Hit The Ice video for the last couple of years, how is it working with the Blackhawks organization? Was this year different from last?
Working with the Blackhawks is a great collaborative process.  The organization allows us a good amount of creative freedom.  This year varied from last in that we always attempt to add something new while keeping the concept consistent over the years.  This creates the challenge of finding creative ways to top ourselves.

Did you start the project with style or storyboards?
We started out the project with five or six different style boards and a rough outline of a story.  From there, the Blackhawks requested animation tests of a couple of the different styles.  Once a style was locked down, we wrote a script and drew storyboards.  It was crucial that the style selected leant itself to telling a story within it.  It had to go beyond a graphic highlight reel.

How long did it take to complete the project from start to finish?
From the concepting stage to final delivery, the project took about two months.

Did Daily Planet handle the production as well?
Daily Planet did handle the production as well.  It included one full day of an on-ice green screen shoot and two half days of shooting in the locker room.  Since we’ve been on set with some of the same players over the years, there was a nice familiarity on set this year.

How many people worked on the project?
For the post-production phase, we had a team of about fifteen rotoscopers / animators as well as an editor and a sound designer.

In terms of the post production, was it all done in After Effects? What was your workflow like?
The bulk of the work was done in After Effects with prep work in photoshop and some effects work in Cinema 4D.  With so many animators and a tight deadline, consistency was key.  We had a style guide that people used, and we carefully checked what the scenes around each one looked like.  All of our animators worked from Daily Planet, so we easily were able to collaborate and check everyone’s progress.

Did you experiment with a technique or plugin that you hadn’t used before?
This year, we used Cinema 4D to have the players break into pieces when checked by a Blackhawks player.  This took some experimentation on our part to get it to look effective.

What kind of challenges did you meet that you didn’t foresee in the planning stages?
Our biggest challenge was having tight deadlines.  We compensated by bringing in extra freelancers when necessary.

If you could change anything, what would you do differently to Hit the Ice?
We are very fortunate to have worked on this project for a few years now and are very pleased with the process and result this year.  We really feel like we’ve streamlined the execution of the project and actually wouldn’t do much different.

What advice would you give a beginning or struggling moition graphic artist who is trying to create better work?
Study and replicate different  techniques and styles as much as you can.  Ask for feedback on your work as much as possible, and learn to address comments on your work.