Syndrome Studio co-founders Mars Sandoval and Micah Hancock in LA: “A political thriller with a classic rock band at the heart, What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? uncovers the hidden story behind the band’s 1970 Eastern Europe tour.

“Unbeknownst to many, this tour behind the Iron Curtain secretly involved the U.S. State Department, the Nixon White House, and the governments of Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland. The footage has been suppressed for over 50 years.

“Teaming up with director John Scheinfeld’s incredible documentary crew, we were tasked with creating several visual elements of the film. Along with the logo and opening title sequence, we brought dozens of declassified government documents and archival photos to life in graphic sequences throughout the film.

“For the present-day interviews with band members and historians, we created animated projections and designed background sets for the shoots. Finally, with no footage available to tell a crucial part of the tale, we created an animated sequence explaining the remarkable way that the band smuggled the documentary footage out of Romania.”
 
 

 
Client: Crewneck Productions
Director: John Scheinfeld
Editor: Peter Lynch
Producer: Dave Harding

Production: Syndrome Studio
Creative director: Syndrome Studio
Designer/animator: Mars Sandoval, Micah Hancock
Illustrator: Vincent Lucido