Studio AKA director Steve Small conjures the dark times in the life of NBA hall of famer George Gervin in three evocative animated portait sequences for One9’s documentary Iceman, released on the NBA App and NBA TV.

Steve Small: “Iceman includes references to George’s struggles with drug and alcohol abuse over a few decades, and One9 came to us to provide some animation that might represent aspects of this troubled past in an appropriate but visually striking manner.

“One9 wanted to emphasize the psychological angle rather than show any on-screen drug or alcohol abuse and was keen for these animated sections to provide a change in pace and bring a moment of calm in contrast to the content being portrayed.
 

“It was a great opportunity for us to explore this digital painting animation technique further and get to grips with capturing historical likenesses of well-known figures and bring them to life in a stylized graphic setting.”

 
“We created animated portraits showing George when he first began his career and later in life, around the time of his overdose. We used a montage effect within George’s silhouette to add further imagery, designing a third low-lit silhouette to represent his supplier. This figure was animated in 2D, then digitally painted to take on something of the art-worked but harder-edged photographic style we set up for the overall look.

“One9 has a keen eye for mood and pace and knows how to both create intense visuals and when to strip a scene down to its essence for full effect. It was a great opportunity for us to explore this digital painting animation technique further and get to grips with capturing historical likenesses of well-known figures and bring them to life in a stylized graphic setting.”
 
 

 
Client: MSM, One9

Production: Studio AKA
Director: Steve Small
Producer: Sharon Titmarsh, Nikki Kefford-White
Animator/illustrator: Janina Putzker
3D animator: Daniel Garnerone
Compositor: William Eagar
Editor: Nic Gill
PA: Lara Salam