Agency: ODD
Director: Bryan Fogel
Animations: Office of Development & Design
Executive Creative Director: Gary Breslin
Executive Producer: Tim Case
Executive Producer / Producer: Matthew Turke
Producer: Suzanne Potashnick
Designer: Mo Ghayour
Storyboard Artist: Roger Hom
Animators: Hoon Chong, Maya Edelman, Henry Gretzinger, Josh Lindo, James O'Brien, Rachael Park, Casey Reuter
Synopsis:
Animation from ODD (Office of Development & Design) featured in Oscar-winning doc Icarus.
Icarus is a wild ride that begins with Dir. Bryan Fogel attempting to duplicate Lance Armstrong's doping regime. What starts as an investigative filmmaking piece quickly turns into a conspiracy thriller when Fogel meets Grigory Rodchenkov, Director of Russia’s National Anti-Doping Laboratory. During their time together Rodchenkov befriends Fogel and shares top secret information that reveals Russia’s system wide state-sponsored doping program, thereby exposing the biggest global scandal ever witnessed in sporting history.
ODD involvement started as the story was still be written - helping shape the visual direction for the film’s design and animation.
One key animation sequence in the documentary shows exactly how Russian athletes were able to avoid positive drug detection during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. ODD’s ECD Gary Breslin spoke to Rodchenkov over the phone moments before he was forced into witness protection to understand Russia's detailed ploy to obtain negative tests for their athletes during the Olympics.
Knowing he had little time to explain, Rodchenkov crudely sketched his lab configuration on a napkin for Breslin to recreate in CG as exact accuracy of the operation was crucial.
The film has left audiences shocked and proves the extensive means Russian will go through in order to cheat the process. "It's been a true pleasure working with Bryan Fogel and his team, and an honor to work on another Oscar-nominated project," Breslin explains.
"The film transcends its genre," wraps Fogel on Icarus, preparing to attend the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater on Hollywood Boulevard this weekend. "It doesn't feel like any kind of documentary you've ever seen before …”