I've had the pleasure of working with Mooncolony and Blizzard on three Hearthstone expansion cinematic trailers.
Escape from Violet Hold
Manhole cover
Sewer escape
The entire sequence was built inside Blender using camera projection, basic 3D models, and 3D animation. After rendering into multilayer EXRs, the final compositing was completed in After Effects.
Blender allowed me to easily translate the complex and detailed illustration into a fluid animation without losing any quality. Render layers and cryptomattes enabled precise compositing control of all the highlights and shadows, and projecting the illustrations on 3D geometry rather than basic 2D cards added an extra layer of parallax to the scene.
Across the Timeways
Library heist - Drop in
Library heist - Staff
I tested a different workflow for the library heist sequence. Adobe had recently added advanced 3D capabilities natively within After Effects. This allowed me to build and texture the library tunnel in Blender and utilise it in After Effects without ever needing to render. However, the Advanced 3D Render engine in After Effects disables blending options and mattes so ultimately I had to pre-render the 3D elements to return the compositing controls. Volumetric lighting, environment effects, character animation, and particle effects were handled within After Effects.
The epic final shot consisted of 11 heroes so every animator got to animate two or more characters. Seeing the entire team's work in one incredible shot makes it extra special.
The final battle
The Lost City of Un'Goro
Lost City reveal
Final battle
To setup the main parallax effect, I utilised pt_Multiplane to build a procedural multi-plane setup in After Effects that is easily controlled by the camera movement.
The character animation style was a slow-motion A-pose to B-pose which required basic rigs with BAO Bones and Duik.
The flames, sparks, flags, and goo were finishing touches handled by our dedicated effects artist. The effects were procedural allowing us to easily drop them in to our animations and adjust them as required.