The Night Before (2015)

“We did not kill Jesus! We did not kill Jesus!” — Isaac

There’s a gift under the Christmas tree with your name on it. For a few tantalizing moments, before the wrapping paper comes off, it’s the perfect present: It’s anything you want it to be.

To kick off The Night Before – a hilarious holiday comedy about a trio of aging man-children (Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie) seeking the true meaning of Christmas – Laundry Design went with a classic trope: the storybook. This simple but effective device, used in countless films over the decades, was the ideal way to set up this surprisingly earnest Christmas comedy, but it was also one of many concepts considered. And that’s where the story gets interesting.

Channelling the work of beloved stop-motion studio Rankin/Bass, Laundry originally envisioned an animated intro in the style of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – infused with all the requisite naughty behaviour and drug paraphernalia that one might expect from a Rogen/Goldberg joint. A pitch-perfect proof of concept was created, the beer and bongs at odds with the cornball Christmas theme. Although it ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor, the stop-motion concept directly inspired the development of the film’s bumping end credits sequence. Featuring a parade of silly sweaters, old school raps, and miniature models from the unused concept, the raucous closer to this Yuletide adventure hints at what could have been.

So, was it a missed opportunity or meant to be? Sit back, relax – put on your favourite Christmas sweater – and reminisce with Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth.

A discussion with Creative Director ANTHONY LIU and Head of Features & Broadcast DAN MASCIARELLI of Laundry Design.

When we last spoke, it almost looked like The Interview wasn’t going to be released. What was the response like to your work on that film and what has Laundry been up to since then?

Dan: We’ve received great feedback and a number of compliments from clients and artists alike on The Interview title sequence. It was great fun to work on and the perfect way to close out the viewing experience of that film. Everyone seems to vividly remember it, down to…

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from Art of the Title http://ift.tt/1RCB3Hh