Superbowl LIX Case Study

Super Bowl LIX - Case Study

Credits

Designer & Animator:
Enrique Santa Maria

Models:

CGTrader: @davidhdez
Sketchfab: @MemoRorschach

Role

Design
Animation

BRIEF:

To develop a :03-:05 second open for one of ESPN’s sporting events. The graphic open should reflect the high-quality broadcast design standards of ESPN, recognized as the world-leader in sports entertainment.

DIRECTION:

To bring a fresh and dynamic approach to the Super Bowl design, I incorporated ripple and tear effects along with color exclusion techniques within a 3D framework.

The ripples and tears symbolize the physical and emotional toll teams endure to reach this stage, reflecting the grit and intensity of the sport.

Tools

Cinema 4D
Redshift
After Effects

Year

2025

POSSIBLE DESIGN + CONCEPT DIRECTIONS

CONCEPT 1 - SUPERBOWL LIX:

CONCEPT 2 - MARCH MADNESS:

For my March Madness concept, I aimed to preserve the amateur and youthful energy that makes college basketball so beloved.

Rather than leaning into the hyper-realistic, cinematic environments often associated with professional sports, I want this to have a more grounded and expressive visual language.

Focusing on authenticity over polish to better connect with the heart of the tournament.

esantama_lkdev_v002_Redshift_RS_Camera_1_1001_1001_20250915_v001_1001.png

CHOSEN DIRECTION (SUPERBOWL LIX)

After consulting with my creative director, we chose to pursue the Super Bowl LIX design, as it stood out from the first draft with stronger expression, a unique and stronger concept, and greater potential overall

esantama_lkdev_v001_Redshift_RS_Camera_2_1011_1011_20250915_v001_1011.png

esantama_lkdev_v001_Redshift_RS_Camera_1011_1011_20250915_v001_1011.png

FINAL DELIVERABLES

This project was a great learning experience, and I truly enjoyed exploring Voronoi fracture, lighting, texturing, and animation throughout the process. The constant iteration pushed me to think more creatively and problem-solve in new ways, and each experiment helped me discover new things. I'm already itching to dive back into the project and explore some alternate scenes and ideas.

FINAL ANIMATION

FINAL STYLE FRAMES

BEHIND THE ANIMATION

Here you’ll find my process, iterations, and project progression. Like any animation, this one began with an initial animatic to establish movement style and timing.

INITIAL ANIMATIC:

LIGHTING AND ANIMATION EXPLORATION

Next, I introduced base lighting to add depth and dimension while continuing to experiment with expressive movement and timing in the scene.

I further explored the ripple effect in After Effects using a displacement map, reinforcing the concept of the Super Bowl as the final stepping stone after a hard, rigid, and demanding season.

SCENE WITH BASE LIGHTING:

ADDED AFTER EFFECTS RIPPLE GLITCH:

COMPLETE SECOND PASS ANIMATIC:

TYPE ANIMATION - VORONOI FRACTURE:

Next, I explored Voronoi fracture animations for the type, refining the look by adjusting offset fragments and scale cells to achieve the desired effect.

SHOT 01 PREVIEW RENDER

SHOT 02 PREVIEW RENDER

FINAL ANIMATION AND EFFECT EXPLORATION:

In the final animation iterations, I experimented with the CC Blobbylize effect in After Effects to create an alternate look. While the result was visually interesting, I chose not to use it in the final piece, as it felt too distracting and pulled away from the core concept.

BASE RENDER

DISPLACEMENT MAP ADDED

CC BLOBBYLIZE ADDED

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