A mix of live interviews, stunning landscape photography, and a wide range of animation styles, Hunt for the Oldest DNA tells the story of maverick gene hunter Eske Willerslev, whose single-minded pursuit of an improbable scientific vision would tease and torment him before ending with a stunning triumph: a lost world recovered from a spoonful of dirt.
With no footage of Eske’s early life, rotoscoping proved a colourful alternative to typical historical reconstructions. The design goal was to make a recognizable version of Eske and others at various stages in their careers, with a nod to simplified Scandinavian design. The limited palette and simplified forms bridge well with scientific information, allowing a pleasing flow between lower thirds, scientific information, and interviews augmented with animated imagery.
The Canadian North was hot and forested during the Pliocene epoch. Using footage Niobe and team shot in British Columbia, we added haze, additional forest elements, insects, dust motes, and a house-concocted blend of 2D paint and 3D forms. Marrying it all together with heavy composited colour and light, we ended up with moving forest scenes from more than two million years in the past.
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