JAMM Bridges the Worlds of Gaming & Film with Cinematic PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS Trailer

LA-based visual effects studio JAMM brings the look and feel of PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) gameplay to real life with the explosive new “Pan-demonium” trailer. Working closely with creative advertising agency Battery and RSA Films director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, JAMM helps to launch the Sony PlayStation®4 version of PUBG with bold VFX that amplify that action and make the pulse pound.

“Pan-demonium” is a thrilling, funny, highly choreographed and relentless fight film that recreates the visceral excitement of the game in live action, dropping the viewer into a desert war zone surrounded by enemies. The piece features an ensemble of actors including Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) and Nick Robinson (Jurassic World), as well as the cinematography of Chung-Hoon Chung (Old Boy) and the stunt direction of Robert Alonzo (Deadpool).

This was JAMM’s first time collaborating with both Jordan Vogt-Roberts and with Battery. Of the experience, Battery Executive Producer Stanton Hill, says: “Battery Agency sought out JAMM for PUBG because we needed someone who could execute the ambitious vision for creating the vivid world of PUBG at the highest level and on a compressed schedule. They engaged in the project early, supervised on-set, and ultimately executed flawlessly, with a volume of VFX output that involved work on every single shot of the film. They knocked it right out of the park.”

JAMM exceeded the expectations of Battery team, as the original 60-second brief evolved to become a two-minute action-packed narrative. Balancing the quality of work within the time frame was the biggest feat. Game to tackle the challenge, JAMM put together a stellar team of compositors, and completed 75 shots. Most notably, they were able to execute this volume at blockbuster movie-level quality in just a week and a half.

The trailer encapsulates director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ signature style of cinematic action and world building, strengths he shares with the JAMM crew. Aiming to translate the excitement of PUBG gameplay onscreen for both existing fans and new viewers, every single shot of the film was touched by the JAMM crew in service of this mission. Highly stylized touches set the tone, look, and feel throughout - be it accentuating lens flares, incorporating layers of atmospheric dust, or adding muzzle flashes to the firing of guns.

Beautiful cinematography and scene-propelling VFX coalesce to create a battle royale-style gaming trailer for the ages. Only the most skillful visual effects talent would be able to deliver at such a high caliber given the timeline. JAMM’s reputation for such artistry is what brought Battery to JAMM in the first place, says Stanton Hill: “JAMM is widely regarded as a ‘secret weapon’ VFX house, founded and run by the best artists on the west coast.”

Watch “Pan-demonium” here: https://youtu.be/bgwrB9qZZg0

Watch the VFX Breakdown here: https://wdrv.it/f3d8064f2

Screenwork Credits
Client: PUBG
CEO: CH Kim, COO: Woonghee Cho, Head of Console Division: Ashley Nam, Head of NA Business: Luke Park, Head of Console Publishing: Scott DeFreitas, Marketing Manager: Michael Medrano, Brand Manager: David Chung and Soonree Kwon

Agency: Battery
CEO/Co-Founder: Anson Sowby, CCO/Co-Founder: Philip Khosid, Partner/VP/Creative Director: Scott Brown, Executive Producer: Stanton Hill, Producer: Mackenzie Busch, Head of Brand: Mike Parseghian, Brand Supervisor: Zach Hill

Production Company: RSA Films
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Managing Director: David Mitchell, Executive Producer: Phillip Detchmendy, Producer: Julien Lemaitre, DP: Chung-Hoon Chung, Production Designer: Chelsea Oliver, Key Costumer: Cris Araujo Additional Photography Producer: Mark Berger, DP: Ross Riege, Stunt Coordinator: Robert Alonzo

Sound Designer: Skywalker Sound
Sound Designer: Shannon Mills

Editorial: Stitch
Editor: Jason Lewis

Visual Effects: JAMM
Lead Flame Artist: Patrick Munoz, Shoot Supervisor: Mike Wigart, Flame Artist: Brian Hajek, Miles Essmiller, Mark Holden, Jake Montgomery, and Marcus Wood Nuke Artist: Marcelo Pasqualino, Lead FX Artist: Zak Dimaria, FX Artist: Zheng Zu, Producer: Justine Pregler, Executive Producer: Asher Edwards