Broadcast design and animation company Primal Screen recently added a little color to the Sundance Film Festival. The studio created a quirky screenwash and a series of vignettes for the "Live at Sundance" webcast which gave day-to-day coverage at the Festival's website.

An official provider to this year's Festival, Primal Screen first created a vibrant screenwash to play before every screening. Featuring ambient animation of an audience made up of engraved illustrations, it included representations of filmmakers and characters from past Sundance films that stare back at the actual audience. These characters were joined by a deep-sea diver, angels, a Trojan Horse and a random host of others. Primal Screen's artists devised subtle bits and gags for characters to act out during the seemingly static scene.

For the second part of the project, Primal Screen created a string of colorful opens for each day of "Live at Sundance." The pieces share the same aesthetic theme as the screenwash; turn-of-the-century characters set against a background of popping hues.

To create the look, artists drew upon the independent nature of Sundance filmmakers and incorporated a rough handmade quality into the pieces. Inspired by the style of Addams/Morioka's print material for the Festival, Primal Screen artists also scanned in vintage woodcut illustrations. They then cut up and segmented images in Photoshop and finally brought the characters to life in After Effects.

Those responsible for the Sundance Screen Wash were Rick Newcomb, art director; Irene Chan, designer; Rob Shetler, designer; Rob Shepps, designer; Donald Emerson, animation; Nate Foster, animation; Teresa Cloud, animation; Jennifer Medlin, animation; Nikolay Lyutskanov, animation; Tonye Oyake, animation; Hunter Matheson, producer; Susan Shipsky, executive producer; and Doug Grimmett, creative director. Those responsible for the Sundance Online Bumpers included Rick Newcomb, art director/designer; Steve Mank, sound design; Hunter Matheson, producer; Susan Shipsky, executive producer; and Doug Grimmett, creative director.