Dark Data

COVERT arrived with the storyboard and creative direction locked, alongside a collection of look inspiration. The conceptual arc was set. A vast wall of dormant particles, dark and inert, would burst into light at key moments in the script and form luminous orbs.

Those orbs would then attract the surrounding dark particles, pulling them into resolution as structured, useful data.

The job was to take that collection of references and intent, and build it into a working particle universe that could carry a live keynote at scale.

The particle system was built in Cinema 4D with X-Particles and rendered in Redshift.

Most of the technical lift went into resolving the work for the LED wall: rendering at over 8K, in an aspect ratio sized specifically to the stage, with the visual density and contrast needed to read clearly to an audience at distance.

Every frame had to hold up at scale.

The project ran as a true collaboration with Dan Palmer, COVERT's 2D Motion Lead, with iteration moving daily across both disciplines as the piece evolved against the script.

Final delivery to Dan was a set of clean ProRes MOVs at over 8K, alongside AOV passes including depth, to give him full control over colour and transitions in the 2D composite.

The project ran for 35 working days end to end.