Besides exploring Atlanta’s fantastic street art and hip-hop culture for inspiration, we tapped into an aura you can’t find anywhere else. That includes lots of IDGAF attitude and the collective consciousness of an entire generation that understands the contributions the South has made to the music industry.

Diversity, especially, has made ATL a trendsetting capital, as well as a cultural epicenter on the musical scene. Iconic elements  we included run the gamut from The Fox Theatre and the Dungeon Family, to Peachtree Street, and Tasha Cobbs Leonard singing to pews of people.

Before jumping into fully-rendered illustrations, we studied the story script to shape a detailed shot list and created thumbnail sketches for each frame. This allowed us to make some important decisions ahead of time: We determined the scale for each shot, finessed how the progression should play out, and looked for natural places where we could shape interesting transitions. We also edited out any shots that seemed unnecessary. Once we were happy with the storyboard, we edited the sketches to music, timing the length of each shot, which ultimately streamlined the animation process.

We chose two distinct animation styles for the Atlanta and Chicago spots. For Atlanta, we went with a 2-D style inspired by Atlanta street art. And for Chicago, we extrapolated that to 3-D for added dimension. Creating the illustrations for these, key elements in each city–such as environments and characters, informed the chosen accents, color palette and mood for each scene in the spots. Frames were illustrated in layers so that each element could be quickly isolated and animated, making for a very efficient and flexible workflow.

These 15-second spots worked well using straight cuts, primarily.  But wherever we found opportunities to work in some transition magic, we 100% leaned into them.

Anything but segregated, the music that flows through Chicago is as eclectic as its vibrant neighborhoods. You can hear reggae on the North side, drill out on the West side, or blues for the South side.

This eccentric vibe not only pulses through Chicago’s diverse music scene, but also blooms in an urban landscape full of artistic and sculptural expressions and influences.

Capturing all of this, our 15-second spot travels through the city and its musical history, with nods to the Kanye and Common rap battle, Buddy Guy, footwork dancing, the Soul Train, Summer festivals and the origins of House music.