Taking Netflix into 3D with Xiaobo Ma
Xiaobo Ma (aka Daniel Ma) has been accused many times of changing the way things are done with his animation wizardry. Music videos, feature films, television programs; these have all benefited from his artistry but few have been so obvious a game changer as those displayed in advertising. Specifically, several 3D billboards have hypnotized, amused, and even frightened throngs of people by way of Xiaobo’s mastery (and that of his collaborators at LOGAN, the award-winning content creation studios). With an amused look of confirmation, he remarks, “Seeing your work on the big screen is always amazing. Sometimes you don’t fully realize it until you witness it in real life, surrounded by an art-loving audience. I’ve seen the videos with reactions of the public to these trailers and there is a sense of pride that naturally surfaces. It’s an irresistible feeling; one I’m quite thankful for.” These trailers for Netflix films were on display in public settings in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and NYC’s Time’s Square, as well as Japan and South Korea. The reality bending quality they possess nudges the real-world into cinema magic for the most forward-thinking sense of “augmented” reality ever seen.
Xiaobo points to the experience of making the trailer for the Netflix film The Gray Man as a very modern scenario where numerous practical effects were combined with animation to attain ultra-realistic action spectacles. The central character (Academy Award Nominee Ryan Gosling) is seen jumping from a moving train while explosions erupt all around him. The ensuing sense from this depiction on the 3D billboard is that of Gosling leaping off the train and the side of the building, seemingly onto the sidewalk below where passersby will dodge him. The Gray Man also stars Academy Award Winner Billy Bob Thornton, Oscar nominee Ana De Armas, and People’s Choice Award Winner Chris Evans.
https://logan.tv/index.php?project=6E4F4F
Even more stunning is the trailer for Netflix’s updated version of the horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Following a series of disturbing hooks and upward reaching arms, a massive chainsaw appears to cut through the very screen on the side of the building. Pedestrians in NYC’s Times Square were stunned at this display; no small feat for traditionally stoic New Yorkers.
https://logan.tv/index.php?project=8EBCAE
The Cobra Kai series (also Netflix) has revitalized the careers of actors from this 1980s film franchise starring Ralph Macchio. Though the writer’s strike has put the release of season six on hold, fans were treated to brief scenes of what to expect in this trailer which also features a larger than life animated cobra and hawk dueling it out on the side of a massive building like prehistoric behemoths as traffic cruises by.
https://logan.tv/index.php?project=C8CE55
Xiaobo and his collaborators take us directly into the surreal world of Slumberland (starring Jason Momoa of Oscar Award Winning Dune, Aquaman, Justice League) as a bed sprouts legs and exits the screen onto the streets below. A giant octopus arm whips a pirate around, nearly knocking of street lamps, warning those nearby that danger is closer than they might think.
https://logan.tv/index.php?project=A2FC56
A description in mere words cannot aptly communicate the sensory experience of what these trailers transmit. While nothing actually emerges physically from the screen, these productions use psychology and state-of-the-art techniques to convince the mind that they do with remarkable accuracy. Xiaobo illuminates, “The creation of 3D billboards involves captivating visual tricks and illusions which rely on a clever visual illusion. The key technique leveraged here capitalizes on a well-documented aspect of human perception; the tendency to perceive larger objects as closer. By manipulating the size and placement of elements within the scene, we create the illusion of objects projecting out of the screen. In essence, these 3D billboards are akin to a magic show, where everything is knowingly artificial yet the visual impact is genuinely astonishing. The major techniques involve playing with sizes and strategic placement to achieve a compelling illusion that captivates audiences.” This is an inordinately humble description of what Xiaobo and his fellow artists fashioned for these mini-productions which stand alongside the actual films in their ability to transfix audiences. In their own way, these advertisements possess a quality that exceeds their long-form counterparts in an immersive capability that leans heavily to the visual. The fact that these billboards were on display at major cities across the planet prohibited Xiaobo from seeing the public’s reaction to his work but seeing the videos of the impact was exciting for him as he states, “I was working on a lot of productions during the time when most of these were on display but I’ve seen the videos and they’re great fun!”
Writer: Calvin Hooney
