Draft Day

2014 • Lionsgate
Main-on-End title sequence, split-screen sequences
Directed by Ivan Reitman

Ivan Reitman’s Draft Day follows Cleveland Browns GM Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) through a tense, high-stakes 12 hours leading up to the NFL draft.

In addition to designing the main-on-end title sequence, we were asked to reinvent the look of the film’s phone call scenes. These negotiations—crucial to the plot—could have played out like static, traditional split-screens. But Ivan wanted something more dynamic.

We began with the language of a standard split-screen, then broke the grid—literally. Characters step across the dividing line. The line itself shifts horizontally, subtly indicating shifts in power, momentum, or tension. The result is a visual system that’s fluid, kinetic, and story-driven.

“A clever visual device designed by Jenny Smith and Gareth Lee [sic] sparks the movie with fluid split-screens, the likes of which we haven’t seen before. They transform Costner’s frequent phone calls into arresting sequences that keep our eyes busy while we’re absorbing story points and information.”

– Leonard Maltin, Indiewire

Additional animator: Theo Alexopolous

Here is an example of the split-screen technique: