CHOOSE OR DIE

A COMPLETE DREAM PROJECT, DIRECTOR TOBY MEAKINS, ALONG WITH ANTON AND STIGMA FILMS, BROUGHT IN TO DESIGN THE EVIL, 80S VIDEO GAME “CURS>R” AT THE CENTRE OF THE NETFLIX FEATURE FILM “CHOOSE OR DIE”.

THE SIMULATED GAME WAS PHYSICALLY DISPLAYED ON SCREENS FOR THE ACTORS IOLA ADAMS, ASA BUTTERFIELD AND EDDIE MARSAN ON SET, AND WAS TRIGGERED LIVE TO BE AS INTERACTIVE FOR THE ACTORS AS POSSIBLE.

WHILE THE GAME DESIGN WAS A CORE FOCUS, WE ALSO DESIGNED THE MAIN TITLES, MAIN ON END TITLES, SEVERAL OTHER SEQUENCES WITHIN THE FILM, AND CONTRIBUTED TO SOME VFX SHOTS WORKING WITH THE TEAM AT GHOST VFX. FURTHERMORE, WE DESIGNED DOZENS OF ON-SET PROPS, SIGNAGE, POSTERS, ON AND ON.

“A MAIN POINT-SCORER FOR CHOOSE OR DIE ARE ITS RETRO VIDEO GAME NOSTALGIA.” - CNET

“CHOOSE OR DIE CREATES ONE OF THE MOST AUTHENTIC GAMING EXPERIENCES FOUND IN FILM.” - GAME SPOT

“THERE’S A CERTAIN TECHNO-PARANOIA AT PLAY HERE THAT THE FILM CAPTURES BRILLIANTLY WITH ITS RETRO-STYLED TEXT ADVENTURE.” - IGN

“THE FILM’S EXPRESSIVE VISUALS AREN’T LIMITED TO ITS ALLURING RETRO GRAPHIC DESIGN…” - INDIE WIRE

GRAPHICS REEL

MAIN TITLES

THE CHOOSE OR DIE MAIN TITLES HELP ESTABLISH THE DECIDEDLY CREEPY FEEL OF THE FILM, AND THE GAME ITSELF. VISUALLY, THEY BUILD ON THE 1980’S, GREEN, 8-BIT TEXT ADVENTURE AESTHETIC WE SEE IN THE FILM’S FIRST SCENE, BUT THEY ALSO DEEPEN THE VIEWERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAME’S MALICE FOR ITS PLAYERS.

NARRATIVELY, THE TITLES CARRY IMPORTANT BACK STORY FOR THE CHARACTER “HAL” WHO WE FIRST MEET, AND WHO AWAKENS THE 'CURS>R’ GAME. THROUGH THE TITLES WE UNDERSTAND THE CONTINUED SUFFERING HIS FAMILY EXPERIENCES, AS HE MOVES FROM LEVEL TO LEVEL, TOWARDS AN ULTIMATE DEAL HE MAKES WITH THE GAME TO LEAVE THEM ALONE.

Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 1
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 2
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 3
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 4
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 5
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 6
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 8
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 10
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 7
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 9
Choose or Die, Main Titles, Frame 11

THE GAME DESIGN

CURS>R IS THE BADDIE AT THE CENTRE OF 'CHOOSE OR DIE - THE MYSTERIOUS, 1980’S VIDEO GAME FOUND AND THEN AWAKENED BY HAL, WHICH GOES ON TO TERRORISE HIM AND HIS FAMILY, BEFORE MOVING ON TO KAYLA. OUR ROLE WAS TO CRAFT THE GAME AS AUTHENTICALLY AS POSSIBLE. WITH EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, WE PAID CAREFUL ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING FROM THE CRT WOBBLE, AND RGB CEL ABERRATIONS, AND EVEN THE SPEED AT WHICH THE CURSOR FLASHES.

WE STUDIED DOZENS OF ZX SPECTRUM GAMES, THE EARLY COMPUTER SYSTEM FROM WHICH CURS>R WAS MEANT TO HAVE BE BORN FROM, TO ENSURE OUR CREATION OF AN EARLY TEXT-BASED ADVENTURE GAME, WAS COMPLETELY CONVINCING.
BUT IT WAS THE SCRIPT THAT BROUGHT CURS>R’S PERSONALITY ALIVE, AND AS WE MOVE FROM LEVEL TO LEVEL, THE GRUESOME MALICE OF THE GAME BECOMES MORE AND MORE EXAGGERATED AND MANIACAL..

Choose or Die, Curs>r main title screen
Choose or Die, Curs>r main title screen, on set
Choose or Die, Curs>r Kayla Level 1 Complete screen
Choose or Die, Curs>r Beat the Boss
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal screen 1
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal screen 2
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal screen 3
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal screen 4
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal screen 6
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal Level 1 Complete screen
Choose or Die, Curs>r skull 1
Choose or Die, Curs>r Rat King
Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal, Eddie Marsan
Choose or Die, Curs>r Kayla, Level 3 complete screen
Choose or Die, Curs>r loading

THE AUTHENTIC ZX SPECTRUM LOADING PATTERN WE SEE AS CURS>R LOADS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Choose or Die, Curs>r Hal Game Over, alternate

ONE OF THE OPTIONS WE PROVIDED FOR HAL’S GAME OVER SCREEN - NOT SEEN IN THE FINAL FILM

CURS>R, THE MALEVOLENT FORCE BEHIND THE GAME, IS ALWAYS WATCHING, INCLUDING WHEN KAYLA AND ISAAC DRIVE TOWARD AN ADDRESS THEY HOPE WILL ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. FOR THEIR DRIVING SCENE, WE SUDDENLY SEE THE FOOTAGE SHIFT TO GAME-STYLE GRAPHICS, INSPIRED BY THE VINTAGE DRIVING GAMES, INCLUDING THE 1983 CLASSIC SPY HUNTER.

Choose or Die, Curs>r driving screen
Choose or Die, Curs>r Rat King full screen

KAYKA’S LEVEL 2, NICK-NAMED THE “RAT KING” LEVEL DURING PRODUCTION, FEATURES AN 8-BIT REPRESENTATION OF HER MOTHER, THEA, BEING STALKED BY AN UNSEEN (EXCEPT IN THE GAME GRAPHICS) GIANT RAT CREATURE.

Choose or Die, Kayla before Rat King level

FILM FRAME - THE MOMENT BEFORE THE RAT KING LEVEL BEGINS

Choose or Die, Rat King level planning

A ROUGH PLAN WE SCRIBBLED FOR THE RAT KING’S MOVEMENTS, MADE DURING A WORKING SESSION WITH DIRECTOR TOBY MEAKINS

PROPS (ART DEPARTMENT)

WE HAD THE PLEASURE OF DESIGNING DOZENS OF ON SET PROPS, INCLUDING HAL’S BEER BOTTLES, THEA’S PILLS, MILK AND CEREAL BOXES, AND 80S GAME POSTERS FOR THE WALLS OF VALENCE SOFTWARE SYSTEMS’ UNIT 254 SET. WE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE WARDROBE AND HAIR/MAKEUP DEPARTMENTS, DESIGNING T-SHIRT GRAPHICS. WE ALSO DESIGNED SCREEN GRAPHICS BEYOND THE CURS>R GAME ITSELF.

Choose or Die, Hal beer labels

PACKAGING DESIGN

CONCEPT LABEL DESIGNS FOR THE HAL’S BEER BOTTLES, WHICH CHANGE FROM MOMENT TO MOMENT AS HE PLAYS CURS>R

Choose or Die, Hal beer labels, The Thirsty Horseman
Choose or Die, Hal beer label, Eddie Marsan

THE THIRSTY HORSEMAN BEER LABEL

Choose or Die, concept cassette render

CONCEPT DESIGN FOR THE BOOTLEG CURS>R GAME CASSETTES, WHICH HAL MADE IN MAKING A DEAL WITH THE GAME TO MAKE COPIES AND DISTRIBUTE

Choose or Die, concept cassette render 2

CONCEPT DESIGN FOR THE ORIGINAL CURS>R GAME PACKAGING AND CASSETTE, WHICH HAL FINDS

Choose or Die, Curs>r cassette
Choose or Die, pill bottle prop design

PACKAGING DESIGN FOR THEA’S PILLS

Choose or Die, milk carton prop design

PACKAGING DESIGN FOR ISAAC’S MILK (NOT SEEN IN THE FINAL FILM)

Choose or Die, cigarette prop design

PACKAGING DESIGN FOR THEA’S CIGARETTES

A SET PHOTO OF OUR UPRISING GAME POSTER, FROM THE UNIT 254 SET

Choose or Die, cereal box prop design

PACKAGING DESIGN FOR THEA’S CEREAL BOX

Choose or Die, poster designs for hallways in Valence Software Systems office

CONCEPT 80’S GAME POSTERS FOR THE CORRIDOR AT UNIT 254

Choose or Die, poster designs on set 1
Choose or Die, poster designs on set 2

A SET PHOTO OF OUR NEON VAMPIRE GAME POSTER, FROM THE UNIT 254 SET

Choose or Die, skulls on VCR digit display
Choose or Die, skull under plastic sheet

A SET PHOTO OF CURS>R LOADING UNDER A PLASTIC SHEET FOR THE RAT KING LEVEL

THE CURSE SYMBOLS

THE CURSE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE GAME IS A MYSTERY THAT IS NEVER FULLY EXPLAINED. OUR ROLE WAS TO DESIGN THE SYMBOLS, BOTH AS 8-BIT CHARACTERS, BUT ALSO AS THEY WOULD HAVE APPEARED AS WORN, ARCHIVAL SPECIMENS FROM THE DARK AGES

Choose or Die, concept render for curse symbols on black board

CONCEPT RENDERING FOR THE CHALKBOARD TO SIT BEHIND BECK

Choose or Die, curse symbols on black board behind Beck

A FILM FRAME FROM BECK’S DETERIORATED VHS TAPE WHICH EXPLAINS THE ORIGINS OF THE CURSE SYMBOLS HE EMBEDDED INTO THE CURS>R GAME CODE.

Choose or Die, aged curse symbols on set black board

A SET PHOTO OF THE FINAL BLACKBOARD SET PIECE. NOW FADED AND DILAPIDATED AS KAYKA AND ISAAC FIND IT 30 YEARS LATER.

THE 8-BIT CURSE SYMBOLS

Choose or Die, curse symbol 1
Choose or Die, curse symbol 2
Choose or Die, curse symbol 3
Choose or Die, curse symbol 4
Choose or Die, curse symbol 5
Choose or Die, curse symbol 6
Choose or Die, curse symbol 7
Choose or Die, curse symbol 8

THE ANCIENT CURSE SYMBOLS

Choose or Die, ancient curse symbol 1
Choose or Die, ancient curse symbol 4
Choose or Die, ancient curse symbol 2
Choose or Die, ancient curse symbol 5
Choose or Die, ancient curse symbol 3
Choose or Die, ancient curse symbol 6
Choose or Die, curse symbols on prop keyboard

A SET PHOTO OF KAYLA’S HAND-MADE KEYBOARD THAT ENABLES HER TO PROGRAM IN THE CURSE LANGUAGE

Choose or Die, Kayla types on curse symbol keyboard

FILM FRAME, SHOWING THE CURSE KEYBOARD

Choose or Die, Kayla's curse symbol text

KAYLA’S CURSE CODE TO PUNISH LANCE

Choose or Die, end title credit roll

THE ANCIENT SYMBOLS MAKE A STAR APPEARANCE IN THE END CREDIT ROLL

GABE’S FACIAL COVERINGS

HAL’S SON GABE, SUFFERS A GRUESOME LOSS OF HIS TONGUE AT THE START OF THE FILM. BY THE TIME WE MEET HIM AGAIN AT THE END, HE SEEMS TO HAVE ALSO LOST AN EYE. WE WERE ASKED BY THE HAIR & MAKEUP DEPARTMENT TO ASSIST WITH COVERINGS FOR GABE’S FACE. MADE FROM COLLAGED ELEMENTS FROM ARCHIVAL HOLLYWOOD MAGAZINES, WE PROVIDED SEVERAL OPTIONS. THE FINAL CHOICES WERE PRINTED IN MULTIPLES FOR USE ON THE ACTOR’S FACE.

Choose or Die, Gabe in his eye and mouth coverings

FRAME FROM FILM SHOWING GABE’S FACIAL COVERINGS

CONCEPT FACE COVERINGS

Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 1
Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 5
Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 2
Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 6
Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 3
Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 7
Choose or Die, concept for Gabe's eye and mouth coverings 4
Choose or Die, sheet of Gabe's final eye and mouth coverings

ISAAC’S GAME “GHOSTER”

ASA BUTTERFIELD’S CHARACTER, ISAAC, HAS BEEN DEVELOPING HIS OWN VIDEO GAME CALLED “GHOSTER”. WE WERE TASKED WITH TAKING EXISTING CONCEPT ARTWORK FOR THE GHOSTER CHARACTERS, AND TURNING THEM INTO 3D GAME CHARACTERS. WE. WENT FURTHER AND CREATED A FAKE GAME ENGINE SOFTWARE FOR HIS CREATIONS TO LIVE WITHIN. ON SET ASA COULD MANIPULATE THE 3D CHARACTER’S POSITION ON SCREEN, MAKING THE GAME DEV FEEL THAT MUCH MORE REAL.

Choose or Die, concept Isaac computer screens, featuring Ghoster

A COUPLE OF CONCEPT SCREENS FOR ISAAC’S GAME DEVELOPMENT (GHOSTER CREATOR: THOM BURGESS GHOSTER ARTWORK: DAVID ROMERO)

Choose or Die, concept Isaac's game design for Ghoster

THE UI WE DESIGNED FOR ISAAC’S GAME ENGINE SOFTWARE

Choose or Die, Isaac, Asa Butterfield, sitting at his game design for Ghoster
Choose or Die, Ghoster 3D character design

GHOSTER 3D CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Choose or Die, Ghoster 3D character design 2
Choose or Die, 3D character design for Kayla (unused) 1

GHOSTER SCENE DEVELOPMENT

3D KAYLA GAME CHARACTER CREATED FOR ISAAC’S GHOSTER GAME

Choose or Die, on set photo of Isaac's desk, Asa Butterfield 1

A SET PHOTO SHOWING THE KAYLA CHARACTER ON SCREEN IN ISAAC’S GAME ENGINE

Choose or Die, 3D character design for Kayla (unused) 2
Choose or Die, on set photo of Isaac's desk, Asa Butterfield 2

A SET PHOTO SHOWING THE KAYLA CHARACTER ON SCREEN IN ISAAC’S GAME ENGINE

WARDROBE

KAYLA IN HER ASTRO MICRO SYSTEMS SWEATSHIRT

Choose or Die, Kayla, Iola Adams, in her cleaning uniform

KAYLA IN HER CLEANING UNIFORM

Choose or Die, design for the cleaning uniform patches

CONCEPT CLEANING COMPANY NAME AND COMPANY PATCHES

Choose or Die, Neon Vampire t-shirt on actor

THE NEON VAMPIRE T-SHIRT

Choose or Die, Neon Vampire design for poster and t-shirt

NEON VAMPIRE FINAL ARTWORK, WHICH APPEARED IN SEVERAL SETS AND ON A T-SHIRT

Choose or Die, Astra logo for Kayla t-shirt
Choose or Die, Kayla in her Astra logo t-shirt

THE ASTRO MICRO SYSTEMS LOGO

LOGOS AND SIGNAGE

Choose or Die, design for Sol's Sewing Machines sign

SOL’S SEWING MACHINES SIGN

Choose or Die, design for Reilly Memorial Pool sign

THE SIGN AT THE POOL FOR KAYLA’S LEVEL 3 GAME

Choose or Die, Sol's Sewing Machines sign

VARIOUS REPLACEMENT SIGNS, INCLUDING SOL’S SEWING MACHINES, DESIGNED FOR THE EXTERIOR OF ISAAC’S BYTE ME SHOP

Choose or Die, sign design for exterior of Isaac's lair

VARIOUS SHOP SIGN REPLACEMENTS

Choose or Die, design Beck's company Kismet

THE FINAL KISMET LOGO (BECK’S COMPANY) THAT APPEARS SEVERAL TIMES IN THE FILM

Choose or Die, Beck's in front of Kismet sign

A FINAL SCENE WITH BECK IN FRONT OF A BACKLIT KISMET SIGN

Choose or Die, Kismet signage

CG ADDITION OF KISMET SIGN TO EXTERIOR LOCATION

Choose or Die, one of several stages of diner menu

OTHER ON SET GRAPHICS

DESIGN OF MENU CHOOSE OR DIE STATE

Choose or Die, on set photo of shape shifting diner menu

FILM FRAME SHOWING ONE OF THE. 6 DIFFERENT STATES OF THE DINER MENUS

Choose or Die, over design for magazine Arcader 1

COVER FOR ONE ISSUE OF THE VINTAGE GAME ZINE ARCADER WE INVENTED

Choose or Die, ad design for magazine Arcader 1

THE AD INSIDE ARCADER THAT ISAAC SHOWS KAYLA

Choose or Die, over design for magazine Arcader 2

ANOTHER COVER OF ARCADER

Choose or Die, ad design for magazine Arcader 2

ANOTHER AD INSIDE ARCADER

THE OSCILLATOR

THE OSCILLATOR IS THE SOFTWARE, OR SUITE OF SOFTWARE, THAT ISAAC CLEVERLY USES TO ISOLATE THE CURSE CODE HIDDEN IN THE LOADING SOUNDS OF THE CURS>R GAME.
TO DESIGN THE OSCILLATOR, WE WORKED WITH IZOTOPE SOFTWARE, UTILISING THEIR BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED MODULES.

Choose or Die, Oscillator screen 1
Choose or Die, Oscillator screen 2

KAYLA’S AWAKENING

WITH AN AESTHETIC EVOLVING FROM THE GAME GRAPHICS, THE KAYLA AWAKENING SEQUENCE REPRESENTS HER ULTIMATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURSE CODE, LEADING TO HER ABILITY TO WIELD IT.

Choose or Die, Kayla awakening to curse code 1
Choose or Die, Kayla awakening to curse code 2
Choose or Die, Kayla awakening to curse code 3