Paramount+ Mean Girls, Burn Book
“Coach Casius smells like assius”
Client: Paramount+
Director: Traktor II STINK
Agency: Droga5
VFX Studio: Parliament
Role: Creative Direction, CG Supervision, Workflow Development
Tools: Houdini, Maya, Arnold
The Brief:
Blend the cinematic intensity of Gladiator 2 with the sharp tone of Mean Girls in a high-concept cross-promotion for Paramount+.
Our Challenge:
Filmed on a stage with minimal extras and only the emperor’s box built practically, the spot needed to feel massive and theatrical. We were provided ILM’s Gladiator 2 colosseum asset, which we adapted to reflect the world of Mean Girls. We also needed to build a full CG crowd that reflected the bespoke wardrobes of the extras, and create a CG tiger for the climactic tackle. This all needed to happen on a very tight timeline for final delivery.
My Impact:
I led the CG effort from ingesting the ILM stadium to final delivery. This included supervising the CG tiger asset and its interaction with talent, directing crowd layout and stadium alterations, and guiding the team through lighting and FX. I worked across departments to keep the scale cinematic and the visuals cohesive, while delivering under tight creative and production deadlines.
