The Continental

Skills Involved

Key-Art Art Direction and Design, Motion Graphics Art Direction and Design, OOH Art Direction and Design, Full 360 Campaign

Agencies / Studios

Lionsgate Television, Bond, Leroy & Rose, The Refinery, Concept Arts, Inside Job, Midnight Oil, AV Squad, MonsterXP, Peacock Creative (Internal)

When

November 2022 – December 2023

Because this was an acquired title, principle photography had completed with a marketing shoot conducted by Starz. Therefore on the Peacock side, we received terabytes of creative (footage, statics, etc.) which we used to piece the campaign. Starting off, we wanted to build hype and anticipation for John Wick fans. These included minimalistic “breadcrumbs”, digital takeovers, hero tease art, and a teaser trailer. The three statics below were posted in mid-April across all Peacock social handles with no context outside of the recognizable imagery/props of the John Wick universe. The number “9” is selected because this title launched September 2023.

Often times the right track is what helps an edit come together. We explored two versions, one using Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and the other featured Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”. Both were strong contenders but we ended up moving forward with “I Feel Love” as it better fit the time period.

Post-Production had not yet completed when the screener was released (there were several blue-screen shots). Using pieces of the marketing shoot in tandem with abstract action heavy moments from the series, we placed textured in-world GFX to help set the stage for what was to come. On the Peacock brand side, we wanted to push the boundaries a bit and create custom IP driven logos (later featured in the hero trailer) – the less messaging the better.

For the title card, we continued to use The Continental logo over the filigree design that is seen in the movies, but elevated it a bit. Working with Bond, we established a revised version, turning “The Continental” from a flat mustard-yellow to 3D gold with a blue light source moving across the backplate. We later stylized the beveled Peacock logo to match the IP design. This 3D title treatment was featured in the final key-art (below).

After a few too many creative differences, the Peacock team turned to AV Squad to help finish the edit for the hero trailer. “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire lead the track, with a compelling opening featuring recognizable visuals (such as the infamous John Wick car and the untraceable coins). I worked with Bond to help design some of the title cards and worked internally to art direct bespoke reflective “gold-stylized” Peacock top tags and end cards that helped connect the IP with the brand. This represented a departure from Peacock’s strict brand guidelines (at the time) and was repurposed across the campaign.

After we received the media plan for The Continental, there was a need for character portraits, specifically for the LA Live Theater Exterior boards. Luckily we were able to make use of the custom shoot Starz had produced on set, shooting talent in-world, on the elevator. I worked with Bond to help tweak the framing/lighting so messaging and branding like “A THREE PART EVENT”, as well as character scaling and placement, was visually uniform across all comps. The ADJUDICATOR was not shot on set and needed to be comped in separately using unit photography.

As we ventured closer to launch we had an extensive digital media plan that included elaborate interactive ads and web takeovers (such as IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Draft Kings, Roku, and many many more). This gave users the opportunity to get to know the characters a bit more by navigating through a variety of custom built experiences using a mix of hero art assets, trailer cutdowns, and unit photography. For static placements, myself and the wider design team helped art direct various outside vendors, including Art Machine.

Working under a tight deadline with Bond, Midnight Oil, and Orange Barrel Media, I helped art direct the design for these two consecutive static billboards on Sunset Boulevard. Because this was such a big title, we were able to amplify the messaging by using physical lights in the building, multiple extensions, and a 3D extruded title. My only regret, due to time constraints, was we weren’t able to light up Winton’s face at night.
Check out the sizzle reel below provided by Midnight Oil.

LA Live (or Peacock Plaza) is a unique placement that showcases many interconnected oddly shaped screens, with audio, and a lot of foot traffic. We worked with Bond to create a sonic-based :15 cutdown of the “Check-In” spot (posted above). At the top, we wanted to leverage the six tower screens by using motion character portraits (in elevators), before all the messaging and footage syncs up, and resolves to the key art at the end. The red light activation signifies the “Inimicus” protocol when the entire building goes on lockdown. It’s always fun to find creative use cases for the Prow (the rounded screen) – in this case we placed the Continental logo “C” at the center.

After Leroy & Rose finished the key-art (including the full bleeds), Bond helped version out these additional static placements surrounding Peacock Place (LA Live). Olympic and Figueroa – the corner billboard – was a nice compromise with executives, allowing the art to naturally wrap around the building with pivotal messaging placed on either side.

We worked closely with Bond and the studio to design/develop character portraits for this theater exterior. Because the STARZ shoot had already wrapped and the 2023 Writers/Actors strike was in full swing, we were limited to previously approved talent photography. Luckily we were able to create a sense of cohesion by repurposing the elevator stills across various OOH placements and utilize the secondary “tower art” on the final board.

The NYC Subway car seemed to present some fun creative directions. I initially explored a bespoke concept that involved designing 1970s ads – intentionally taking the subway car back in time. However, due to budget and time constraints we repurposed a :15 second no-audio MOS cut-down, versioned out by Bond.

There’s a perfect moment in the series where we see the character “Frankie” (Winston’s older brother) stand on a 1970’s subway platform. The footage seemed to fit perfectly for this triptych, followed by the elevator doors opening to reveal the hero talent. While this wasn’t the final approved deliverable (due to strategic concerns), it felt most appropriate from a creative standpoint.

Although timelines were tight, you can appreciate the vast scale of this campaign with each custom piece of creative. Looking at the 30 Rock lobby horizontal, the full-bleed of the hero art reads well in such a wide space (the John Wick car fully visible). Bus King wraps are always a concern because you never know when a window may be opened, which can disrupt the tune-in or overall messaging. These statics were the result of a great collaboration between Peacock, Bond, and Leroy & Rose.

As a MoGraph Artist and an occasional Designer, Tech Supervisor, and Editor, I work under the umbrella of ACMP (Apple Care Media Production), an in-house production team of writers, producers, animators, editors, and videographers.

This was an explainer video that extended over the course of many months and lives on the Apple Support YouTube page, acting as the “face” of the channel. Through many rounds of revisions and approvals, this video really allowed me to flex some creative thinking, from an extremely detailed storyboard to the final delivery file.

As a MoGraph Artist and an occasional Designer, Tech Supervisor, and Editor, I work under the umbrella of ACMP (Apple Care Media Production), an in-house production team of writers, producers, animators, editors, and videographers.

As a MoGraph Artist and an occasional Designer, Tech Supervisor, and Editor, I work under the umbrella of ACMP (Apple Care Media Production), an in-house production team of writers, producers, animators, editors, and videographers.