Described as a cross between The Office and The Sopranos by the show's creator, Malcolm MacRury (ZOS: Zone of Separation, Deadwood), Cra$h & Burn follows Jimmy Burn, a young claims adjuster for a cut-throat, bottom-line insurance corporation. Jimmy maneuvers his way around insurance scams and the criminal underworld as he tries to escape his past and make a better life on the gritty post-industrial streets of Hamilton.

Jam3, a collaborative interactive studio created by partners Mark McQuillan, Pablo Vio and Adrian Belina, one of Toronto's top interactive production studios, is known for their ability to combine technical excellence and creativity within their Flash work. Jam3 has worked on the just launched online through crash-and-burn.com, Autotopsy.ca, an innovative digital experience that challenges visitors to play the part of forensic crash investigator Jimmy Burn in order to unpick the story behind a multi-vehicle pile up. Part game, part narrative experiment, the visually stunning site offers a host of interactive video content alongside character case studies that provide hints and red herrings alike.

Autotopsy Point of Impact

 

"The idea behind the project was to build something strictly for online consumption that was completely different than your typical trailer site," says Jam3 Creative Director Adrian Belina. "We wanted to create a piece of interactive content that would give viewers total control over the way they experience the story and explore the supplemental plot strands."

 

In addition to concept, design and development, Jam3 headed the post, VFX, animation and scored the immersive soundscape that accompanies the ambitious project. With just three days to capture over 15 minutes of footage, including a demanding one-day motion control shoot using the Milo rig, tight pre-production was essential. Central to the Autotopsy experience is an intuitive range of control options that allow for a seamless transition between different levels of content. Using Papervision, the Jam3 crew built a stylized 3D map of the crash scene, allowing would-be investigators to delve in-between the crumpled cars, shattered glass and fiery wreckage in a bid to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the aftermath.

Autotopsy Post & Pre VFX Split Screen

"We love interactivity and we like giving users multiple options to navigate the site in different ways," Belina enthuses. "We really felt like we stretched our legs with this project. It allowed us to explore concepts that we had R&D'd internally and were eager to implement so from the outset we agreed that nothing was out of reach - the crazier it sounded the more we wanted to try it."

Crash & Burn - Autotopsy Interactive Case Study

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Credits

Project: Crash and Burn
Client: Showcase Television & Whizbang Films : Autoposy.ca

Interactive studio: Jam3, Toronto

Creative Directors: Pablo Vio, Adrian Belina
Assoc. Creative Director & Visual Effects Supervisor: Rafael Ludwig
Technical Director: Mark McQuillan
Flash Developers: Mikko Haapoja
Interactive Designer: Mike Montgomery
Visual Effects By: Capricorn8
Visual Effects Producer: Alex Krivoi
CG Supervisor: Andrey Crivoi
Visual Effects Artist: Arteom Petrea
Sound Design: Quatro Sound Productions

Produced by Whizbang Films