Abdulaziz and the Great Powers

Client: OR Media
Producer: Jonathan Hacker
Executive Producer: Adel al Abdul Karim
Graphics & 3D Animation: Maxwell Broughton
Music: Birger Clausen

For a two part documentary for Al Arabiya about the rise of Saudi Arabia's first king: Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and his reign over the brand new nation of Saudi Arabia; I was asked to create a title sequence. With a run time of 40 seconds, we felt that we had to keep it mysterious and not give too much away until the final moments. Also, with limits on archive footage (due to his reign starting in 1932), we didn't want to use what little shots we had in the opening.
(Bizarrely) inspired by Tim Burton's Batman, Jon Hacker and I decided that this would be the best approach to satisfying the criteria we were working under.
Loaded with un-so-subtle metaphors and visual language, here's the finished product.
Software: Maxon Cinema 4D & Adobe After Effects, with Video Copilot Optical Flares and Action Essentials 2 for good measure!