“Oskar Gröning, known as the "Accountant of Auschwitz," was charged with the murder of 300,000 Jews. When he took the stand in 2015, at the age of 94, his trial made headlines worldwide. The debate around his prosecution is at the centre of this historic yet contemporary look at justice. As survivors travel to Germany to testify, the heinous acts of the Holocaust remain vivid and traumatic. From Nuremberg to the new alt-right, The Accountant of Auschwitz constructs a stark reminder that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. “ - Alexander Rogalski Hot Docs Film Festival.

We were approached by director Matthew Shoychet and Producer Ricki Gurwitz to create the entire graphical identity for this important documentary, including the opening title sequence as well as various motion-graphic scenes. Our aim was to create an engaging & visually compelling visual treatment that is cohesive throughout the entire film. We wanted to evoke the sense of starkness and seriousness of the subject matter, doing so in a way that felt both aged and weathered, while simultaneously being current and contemporary.

We developed a look that is at once gritty, aged, dark and mysterious, while also maintaining an edgy, current, stylized look that we felt would resonate with today’s audience (both young and old). Stylistically we wanted to explore a visual approach that felt tactile and real, like you could physically touch the elements on the screen. We wanted to create the impression that as viewers, we’re looking into an investigator’s notes as they study and annotate the failures of past post-war trials and their participants. Every map, image, document and piece of typography feels very much like a photographic element rather than feeling like a computer-generated effect. This was important since we were dealing with subject matter that is rooted in history and a past that had, at times, intentionally been clouded.

Here are a few earlier iterations and frames we developed for the film

CREDITS

Creative Studio: reactiv
Creative Director: Alon Isocianu
Exec Producer: Anna Junger
Lead Designer & Animator: Peter Skountzos
Animators: Lauren Galloway, Hasan Mohamad, Janet Mac

Film Credits
Directed By: Matthew Shoychet
Producers: Ric Esther Bienstock, Ricki Gurwitz
Editor: Ted Husband