Environmental / Motion DesignStep into the enchanting world of Harry Potter with the groundbreaking Harry Potter: The Exhibition. This interactive experience celebrates everything you love about the beloved series, from the iconic characters and settings to the magical creatures and spells. I was involved in the creation of several significant pieces, engaging visitors with powerful storytelling through immersive design, animation, and interaction.
This traveling exhibit has garnered over 1.6 million visitors since it debuted in Philadelphia in Feb 2022.
Client: Warner Bros. / Imagine Exhibitions | Agency: Neo-Pangea
Role: Motion Design | Interactive / Product Design | Illustration | Sound Editing | SFX Animation
Dueling WandsFor this interactive, I created a series of animations that are triggered by capacitive wands props. When visitors grab onto the wands, a visually exciting duel begins, putting you in the shoes of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
The visual effects for these animations required a combination of generated electrical and particle effects, and layers upon layers of rich visual flourishes and animations to complete the complex effects of a wizard’s duel.
Sound design by Kent Hertzog
Potions InteractiveWorking closely with the client to determine canon specific potions recipes, this interactive kiosk allows players to mix ingredients for their own magical potions. This interactive combines a UI/UX spell casting system that syncs with physical lights, and brings the elements to life with custom design, rich illustrations, and beautiful animations.
The PortkeyThis piece allows visitors to experience the feeling of being transported to different worlds via the portkey, an old leather boot situated in the center of the space. Once a visitor engages with the boot, one of several animations is triggered, enveloping the visitor in a near 360 degree visual experience.
To understand how to effectively build these animations, a simple 3D mockup was utilized to get the proper projection dimensions implemented into the animation canvas. This was also critical in understanding how fast or slow to create the spin effect, ensuring that visitors would not be disoriented.
And moreBeyond some of the marquee pieces, I was involved in many other components of this exhibition, from creating supporting animations sprinkled throughout, to implementing language updates to many of the media pieces as the exhibit moves from the US, to Europe, to China.
“clever interactive elements to make you feel like you are part of the story instead of just strolling through a museum”
— Paste Magazine