Airplan Keeps the Drama High in “Playing to Survive” Titles – Motion design [Video]

Building on the lyrical and emotional power of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, the animation team at Airplan Studio brings period style and plenty of drama to the title sequence for the feature doc Playing to Survive: von Cramm vs Hitler.

Donat Ertsey, Managing director/EP at Airplan: “This project (broadcast on PBS International) tells the story of German tennis player Gottfried von Cramm, whose athletic grace and personal defiance stood in stark contrast to the Nazi regime’s growing power in the 1930s. 

“The creative challenge lay in balancing historical accuracy with emotional storytelling, weaving archival footage, tennis choreography, and abstract visual elements to evoke the duality of von Cramm’s public heroism and private turmoil.”

 “The client brief was to craft a sequence that not only captured von Cramm’s on-court brilliance but also conveyed the tension and oppression he faced off the court — particularly his quiet defiance of Hitler and the Third Reich.

“The creative challenge lay in balancing …