Working with Prettybird live-action director Vellas and Rodeo FX, ECD Mason Nicoll and the Digital Kitchen crew “explore the layers of fear” in The Callisto Protocol, the new sci-fi survival horror game from Striking Distance Studios.

Mason Nicoll: “With The Callisto Protocol, the team at Striking Distance Studios has crafted a terrifying game built on an incredible story and visually rich environments. Playing the game is such a visceral experience, we felt a live-action trailer would best showcase the tone of the game and nod toward some of the classic sci-fi and horror movies that inspired it.

“This obviously comes with challenges and expectations, such as creating a narrative true to the game but with enough flexibility to evolve it for the medium, and giving hardcore fans a glimpse of the horror and terror they’ll discover on Callisto without giving too much away.

“We worked closely with director Vellas from Prettybird and Rodeo FX to carefully navigate the fine balance between the practical and virtual and placed high priority on grounding the spot in as many ‘real’ locations as possible. Our goal was to authentically establish the grit and atmosphere of Black Iron Prison, while also bringing the horrifying creatures of Callisto to life.”

Featuring Josh Duhamel (Transformers) in the lead, the spot was shot in Brazil and Los Angeles and will be broadcast in the US, UK, Germany, and France, as well as online.
 

 
Client: Striking Distance Studios

Production: Digital Kitchen
Chief Creative Officer: Cam Levin
Executive Creative Director: Mason Nicoll
Writer: Loren Schiller
Art Directors: Peter Pak, Rachel Brickel
Motion Artists: John Van Unen, Anissa Silva
Editor: Gio Blanco
Senior Producer: Megan St. John
Head of Digital/Experiences: Ally Malloy

Live-action production: Prettybird
Director: Vellas
Vice President/EP: Suzanne Hargrove
Head of Production: Tracy Hauser
Line Producer: John Sepulveda
Director of Photography: Agustin Claramunt
Additional Photography: Sal Totino
Head of Production (Brazil): Reinaldo Faria
Line Producer (Brazil) Carol Pessini

VFX: Rodeo FX
VFX Supervisor: Patrick Beauchamp
VFX Producer: Emilie Debiasi
VFX Coordinators: Emilie Cuendet, Adrianela Arize Rodriguez
Lead Rigging: Mathias Royrvik
Lead Previs: Alexandre Menard
Lead Lighting: Yuandong Feng
Lead Layout: Romain Sontag
Head of Layout: Etienne Poulin St-Laurent
Head of Animation: Yvon Jardel
Lead FX: Yvan Ngnodjom
Lead Environment: Alexandre Durocher
Comp Tech Supervisor: Felix Vallieres
Comp Supervisor: Erik Gagnon
CG Supervisor: Louis Pare
Asset Supervisors: Daniel Lupien, Philip Harris-Genois

Edit: Cabin Editing
Editor: Rami D’Aguiar
Cutting Assistant / Assistant Editor: Tom Pasten
Editorial Producer: Grace Hammerstein
Editorial Head of Production: Liz Lydecker
Executive Producer: Adam Becht
Managing Partner: Carr Schilling

Music/sound design: Echolab
Composer: Leo Pearson, Gavin Little
Sound Design/Mix: Gavin Little
Additional Sound Mix: Tom Paolantonio, LIME Studios

Cast: Josh Duhamel