Case study
Metro Boomin Heroes & Villains
Designing a concept vehicle for the "Heroes & Villains" short film
Concept Design
2022
Roles
Sketching
3D Modeling
Rendering
Team
Gibson Hazard (Director)
Overview
Metro Boomin is a highly acclaimed and influential music producer and songwriter. He has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry, producing chart-topping hits for artists like Drake, The Weeknd, Future, and 21 Savage, among others.
In 2022, I was invited by Gibson Hazard to work on the short film that released Metro’s second studio album “Heroes & Villains”. Gibson, who has directed films for acclaimed artists such as Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Lil Nas X, and Drake, among others, asked me to design a brutalist batmobile-inspired vehicle that Metro would drive in the end-sequence of the film.
The film starred actors such as Morgan Freeman and LaKeith Stanfield.
What I did
- Explored and ideated initial exterior design directions for the vehicle through sketches
- Created concept vehicle design ideas through quick 3D models and renderings
- Refined the final 3D model used in the VFX production
- Created final renderings showcasing the CMF look and feel of the vehicle
Outcomes
- Metro Boomin's new album "Heroes & Villains" was streamed 36 million times on its opening day on Spotify. It was the 3rd biggest opening day for a rap album in 2022 and the biggest ever for an album released by a producer.
- Metro Boomin's songs Creepin' and Superhero reached #1 on Spotify's Top 50 USA and Global and Apple Music's Top 10.
- "Metro Boomin - Heroes & Villains" short film has more than 3 million views on Youtube.
Ideation
At the beginning of the process, Gibson shared with me multiple references and ideas he had in mind for the car. He envisioned a batmobile-inspired vehicle with triangle-shaped elements that connected to Metro Boomin’s record label Boominati Worldwide logo, which inspired key elements throughout the entire film. The film's aesthetic drew influence from the brutalist look and feel seen in movies like Dune and the intense chaotic environment from The Dark Knight.
With this initial direction, I started collecting new references as inspirations and sketching out many design possibilities. In this phase, I usually combine simple thumbnail pen sketches, rough 3D models, and quick Photoshop paint-overs to explore ideas that I feel would resonate with the overall direction.
Final design
After several iterations and feedback sessions, we landed on the final design.
The goal was to create a vehicle that felt brutalist and tough, with hard shapes and surfaces. Triangle elements are scattered throughout the entire car, including the pointed silhouette, making it iconic and connecting to the other key elements presented throughout the film, from Metro’s diamond chain to the architecture of the building.
The Tumblr from Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” and Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” batmobile were huge references for this car. The final design combines elements of both vehicles, from Tumblr’s tank-like look and feel to the open engine at the rear inspired by the batmobile from “The Batman”.
Detailed 3D model
My role also extended to providing a detailed 3D model of the car. This model was used in the VFX production of the final shots and animations.
Here are some renderings of the surface of the final model, created in Blender.
