Science Channel: Question Everything Logo Reveal Cinema 4D, Photoshop
Often seen as gross or destructive, mold is essential to life—breaking down dead matter and, in some cases, even plastic. Our concept explores mold’s surprising ability to consume plastic and communicate with other molds through spores using chemical signals. It spreads with help from insects like ants and only survives while growing. We illustrate this through mold “construction workers” decomposing a plastic yogurt cup. Ants deliver a glowing spore—remnants of strawberry yogurt left in the cup for a year—symbolizing mold’s hidden intelligence and power to connect. RoleArt Direction, Illustration, Compositing & Lighting TeamRichard Oh
Treatment ↘︎
We combined 3D and 2D techniques to create a visually layered world. Using Cinema 4D, we built the environment and lighting to establish atmosphere and depth. These scenes were then brought into Photoshop, where we illustratec our mold characters directly into the frames. This mix allows the mold to feel organic and expressive while contrasting with the structured 3D space, highlighting the surreal, emotional tone of the story. Research ↘︎
Aspergillus is a type of mold that has the ability to decompose plastic. Aspergillus grows in warm, damp environments, often on food like bread or grains, in homes where there's moisture or water damage, and in soil, plant debris, and agricultural products. Aspergillus is first white or grey as it is younger and gets greener, bluer, or more black as it matures. References ↘︎