Peering back through 40 years of SNL's star-studded history, the opening sequence for Saturday Night Live weaves together some of the most iconic comedians and timeless sketches in a horizontal timeline. Promotional teasers were also created in order to represent the talent and grandeur associated with the occasion, revealing the event's star-studded guest list and the SNL 40 logo. The 40th Anniversary Special was more than well received, reaching over 23 million views - NBC's most-watched program (aside from the Super Bowl) in over a decade.
This one was one of those more honorable projects, being a small part of the great institution that SNL is. I was brought in early to start animating the chosen designs, and started with extensive motion testing, figuring out the pace and behavior of the massive timeline that the design suggested. The most fun part was animating the in and out logos; a break neck rainbow colored zoetrope forming the SNL letters.
Art of VFX feature: http://www.artofvfx.com/?p=11149
Designed & Produced by: Imaginary Forces (IF)
Directors: Alan Williams, Jeremy Cox
Executive Producer: Sarah Roebuck
Producer: Kacie Barton
Designers: Maggie Tsao, Jeremy Cox, Juan Monasterio
Animators: Toros Kose, Adam Tanner, Andy Mastrocinque, Henry Chang, Juan Monasterio
Editor: Nate Buchik
Coordinator: CJ Trahan II