Beyond Magic

2016

Abra Abracadabra...BUCK designed and animated the opening title sequence and graphics package for David Blaine’s 2016 ABC special, “Beyond Magic,” and his subsequent live tour. 2016 Emmy Winner for Outstanding Motion Design.

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”

- Roald Dahl

David Blaine approached us to make an animated intro to set the mood for his upcoming special. Inspired by David’s mind-bending magic and the Paul Auster penned script (voiced by Christopher Walken in the style of a sideshow barker) we crafted a hero’s journey in the form of a psychedelic trip — a trip into the spectacle of the real.

“One life and one body in which to live that life.”

Cognitive dissonance and mythical allegory became our main themes — touching on man’s need to fit experience into pre-established patterns, and David’s desire to explore his career thematically through myth and symbolism.

Credits

BUCK

Executive Creative Director

Orion Tait

Executive Producer

Anne Skopas

Creative Director

Daniel Oeffinger

Thomas Schmid

Producer

Kevin Hall

Production Coordinator

Alexi Yeldezian

Storyboard

Justin Fines

Olivia Blanc

Thomas Schmid

Design

Daniel Oeffinger

Jaedoo Lee

Justin Fines

Lucas Brooking

Olivia Blanc

Thomas Schmid

Yeojin Shin

Yker Moreno

2D Animation

Alex Perry

Andreas Bjoern Hansen

Daniel Oeffinger

Federico Reano

Jaedoo Lee

Rasmus Bak

Wei Shen Wang

Yeojin Shin

Cel Animation

Benjy Brooke

Gonzalo Menevichian

Harry Teitelman

Jaedoo Lee

Jake Armstrong

Kyle Mowat

Olivia Blanc

Thomas Schmid

Tim Beckhardt

William Trebutien

Yeojin Shin

Look Development

Federico Reano

3D Animation

Arvid Volz

Bill Burg

Bill Dorais

Chris Phillips

John Karian

Tao Ye

Audio

Music Studio

Antfood

Editorial

Editor

Chad Colby

Daniel Oeffinger