NHL Stadium Series Animation! - Studio 1482 Illustration

NHL Stadium Series Animation!

Happy New Year everyone! I couldn’t be more excited to share my latest commission with you…an animation for the inaugural games of the National Hockey League’s Stadium Series! It will air for the first time on New Year’s Day during the Winter Classic on NBC.

From the time I became interested in illustration as a career I have wanted to work in film and motion. I used to experiment with video and animation and I’ve worked as a storyboard artist and concept designer, but I had yet to put my stamp on a project until this opportunity came my way late last year.

When I received the call from NBC Sports naturally I was excited, but when I found out it was for ice hockey, I could not believe it. I have been a life long fan of hockey…I even play (street hockey) every Sunday.

I’d like to thank Lorin and Lindsay and the whole team at NBC Sports for having the creative vision to do something DIFFERENT on national television, and for allowing the creative vision to come to life. I would also like to thank the members of Studio 1482 for their support, and  fellow Studio 1482 member Despina Georgiadis for her brilliant work with the art direction and storyboards.

Last but not least, a special thanks to J.J. Sedelmaier, who worked as the animator on the project. His professionalism, experience, and sense of humor made the process seamless and enjoyable from the first frame to the last.

Below are some shots of the process and the animation. You can also view the animation on YouTube and Vimeo.

NHL Stadium Series Animation from greg betza on Vimeo.

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Daunting!

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Early storyboard frames of action

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Early storyboard frame

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

From table to wall to floor. Repeat.

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Coming together!

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Key frame color exploration

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Key frame color exploration

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Working on a Wacom Cintiq 22HD

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

The “PERFECT” sequence

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Yankee Stadium key frame

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Dodger Stadium key frame

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Drop em’ in!

NHL Stadium Series Animation! | Greg Betza

Rangers vs. Devils key frame

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