This happens to me frequently, I stumble across someone’s work and i’m convinced I have discovered someone or something completely obscure .. only to realize this person is basically famous already, i’m just not in that particular niche or circle. (Does this happen to you?) Masanobu Hiraoka reveals precious little (or nothing) about himself online but look at his body of work and you can see immediately how beautiful, unique and detailed it is. The tendrils of explosions and bursts of air and smoke, the patience and unexpected choices in so many of his films, the colors, the way it all works with music… the acclaimed teams at Sato Creative and Caviar clearly recognized how much talent and vision he brings to the table. From Caviar’s website:
Born in 1986.
Graduates Digital Hollywood University.
Begins freelancing as an animator in 2010.
Joins Caviar in 2013.
He gains much attention for his animated 3000 hand drawn kanji letter online video for the KIRIN Tanrei Green Label.
He also worked as an executive director for the anime series, Little Witch Academia.
The teaser for the Nissan cup noodle spot Aoharuka Yo, of which Hiraoka worked as a director and animation director garnered him the 2018 ADC award.
He has also been in charge of animation for commercials for brands like PLAYSTATION, East Japan Railway Company, Shiseido Integrate among others, and has created many stand out pieces that integrate animation with advertising campaigns. His work goes beyond boarders, including international collaborations with artists like Battles, Flying Lotus, Stephanie Gilmore and Red Hot Chili Peppers.