The 24 Before

This was a project that started off as raw video. After several layers of After Effects work, we ended up with a final result that mimicked a genuine watercolor video. Somewhat inspired by larger projects like Loving Vincent, the initial concepts  were very fluid in their design. Some of the early designs used crumpled paper textures. The idea with watercolor video was to make it seem as if every single frame was a genuine watercolor painting.

The actual content for this piece was tricky to obtain. The idea was to capture some of the key moments from the 24 hours before Jesus’s death on the cross. Obviously it’s not something we can just go out and film easily, but we did manage to fake it fairly well.

Watercolor Video to Unite Different Sources

The final result is a combination of several different shots from different sources, styles, and locations. There was even one shot that was a 3D rendering that just provided enough detail to make out the shape of what was trying to be conveyed, while the watercolor effects were so strong, that they were able to unite even the most unrelated-looking sources. All these shots would have never stood on their own if it weren’t for the watercolor elements layered on top of them.