Inspired by graphic novels and retro Kung-Fu posters, MethodMade created these animated main titles for Cinemax’s new series, Warrior, drawn from the writings of martial-arts legend Bruce Lee.
The series is set in Chinatown in rough-and-tumble 19th century San Francisco. It follows young martial-arts prodigy Ah Sahm, a Chinese immigrant working as a hatchet man for one of the neighborhood’s most powerful bosses, known as Tongs.
MethodMade, which is part of Los Angeles-based Method Studios, worked closely with Warrior creator and executive producer Jonathan Tropper to come up with the unique visual approach, incorporating both still photography from the set and motion-capture footage of working martial artists. MethodMade also brought in designer Arisu Kashiwagi to further develop and execute the final sequence. The style was ultimately applied to the network’s promotional campaign for the series.
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CREDITS
Client: Cinemax
Production: MethodMade
Creative Director: John Likens
Lead Designer: Arisu Kashiwagi
Art Director: Arisu Kashiwagi, Wesley Ebelhar
Design/animation: John Likens, Wesley Ebelhar, Nan Wei
CG Artists: Jeongyeon Son, David Derwin
Executive Producer: Adrienne Mitchell
Producer: Emily Schaeberle
Coordinator: Billy McMillen
Music: Reza Safina, H. Scott Salinas