ARES: OUR GREATEST ADVENTURE
3AM X ALT CREATIVE INC, 2015
CONCEPT DESIGN | PRODUCTION
Interface and holographic design developed for Ares: Our Greatest Adventure, a speculative broadcast set within the world of The Martian. The work establishes a visual system for future-facing UI and holographic elements, supporting a narrative framed as a live program documenting the Ares 3 mission.
Development focuses on translating complex scientific and mission data into readable, spatially integrated graphics. The system extends across orbital visualizations, suit-based holograms, and environmental interfaces, maintaining continuity across multiple contexts within the broadcast.
STILLS
ORBIT GRAPHICS
Orbit graphics establish the foundation of the visual system, defining color, line quality, and structural language. These sequences serve as early look development, informing the broader holographic style used throughout the piece.
The work translates planetary motion and spatial relationships into a controlled graphic system, balancing clarity with a more expressive visual tone.
SUIT HOLOGRAMS
Suit holograms represent the primary design challenge, requiring a balance between graphic structure and facial legibility. Development moves from dense scanned geometry toward a more controlled, simplified framework.
The final approach combines low-resolution quad-based structures for the body with higher-resolution detail in the face, maintaining readability while preserving a cohesive holographic language. This hybrid system allows the holograms to function as both character representation and graphic interface.
HAB
The HAB sequence extends the system into environmental application. Graphic elements developed during early orbital studies are reintroduced and combined with holographic assets from the suit system, creating continuity across transitions.
These moments integrate interface, environment, and motion into a unified visual language that supports the broader narrative framework.
Credits
MICHAEL RIGLEY: ART DIRECTION + DESIGN, 2021
CREDITS | PRODUCTION
Directed by: Chris Eyerman and Ash Thorp
Story / Writing: Will Melton and Chris Eyerman
Lead Actor: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Producer: Ash Thorp
Producer: Josh Porter
Producer, ALT Creative: Monica Thorp
Producer, Juice: Natalia Lasota
Director of Photography: Tony Wolberg
Art Director, Juice: Michal Misinski
Music Director: Marcy Bulkeley
Score: Danny Cocke
Editor: Joe Bellino
Associate Producer: Tom Moran
President, 3AM: Alison Temple
President, RSA: Jules Daly
Social Strategy: David Sarkissian
Post Producer: Mike Goble
Smoke Producer, The Mill: Kiana Bicoy
Mars Opening VFX: MPC
Hermes VFX: Framestore and Juice
Nebula VFX:Juice
VFX/CG Supervisor, Juice: Jakub Knapik
Onsite VFX Supervisor: Anthony Scott Burns
Concept Designer: AshThorp
Concept Designer, Juice: Michal Misinski
Lead Designer/Animator: Michael Rigley
Compositing, Juice: Jakub Knapik, Arkadiusz Leszko, Seweryn Czarnecki, Michal Misinski, Tomasz Przydatek, Sylwester Lipinski
Lighting & Shading, Juice: Artur Szymczak, Seweryn Czarnecki, Tomasz Przydatek, Andrzej Przydatek, Jakub Wrzalik, Jakub Knapik, Tomasz Dyrdula
Matte Painting, Juice: Michal Misinski, Daniel Niszczota, Tomas Muller
FX, Juice: Piotr Suchodolski, Seweryn Czarnecki, Rigel Bowen
Modeling, Juice: Slawomir Ostrowski, Jakub Wrzalik, Andrzej Przydatek, Seweryn Czarnecki, Sebastian Oska, Michal Gosciniak
Layout & Animation, Juice: Jakub Wrzalik, Lukasz Dziedzinski, Tomasz Przydatek, Jakub Knapik, Tomasz Dyrdula
Colorist, The Mill: Adam Scott
IT, Juice: Tomasz Kruszona