Director/animator John Likens at Method Studios in New York: “In 2020, when the pandemic hit hard and sent every VFX and design company scrambling to find solutions for working remotely, I got a call from Alcon Entertainment to pitch on a Blade Runner project.

“It was for a new anime television series being created in Japan alongside Adult Swim and Crunchyroll in the US.

“The Blade Runner films have long been a beacon of inspiration for me and just about everyone else in this industry. So I knew I needed to make the most of this opportunity.

“On top of everything that was going on in the world and at Method Studios, we were given a short time frame and a very limited budget to work with.

The biggest challenge for me was to capture all the visual aspects that make Blade Runner so iconic as a franchise.

“It quickly became clear that if we were going to take this project on, it was going to come down to me being able to pull it off on my own. This is not normal, I usually have a team of creatives to collaborate with.

“Over the course of three weeks, I assembled the title sequence shot by shot – all tasks, from character animation, FX, lighting and texturing, compositing, and editing.

“The biggest challenge for me was to capture all the visual aspects that make Blade Runner so iconic as a franchise. I wanted to feature the mega-architecture, fire-breathing pillars, and the endless sea of lights through heavy air pollution.

“At the same time, I wanted the audience to know this is something different, a unique story being told in the Blade Runner world they know and love. So I tried to introduce some new story-based visuals into the mix as well.”
 

Client: Alcon Entertainment

Production: Method Studios
Director/animator: John Likens
Compositor/editor: John Likens

Music: Alessia Cara