Champion Cinematics
As Senior Creative Advisor, I played a key role in shaping the creative and narrative direction of League of Legends: Wild Rift’s Champion release cinematics—short-form storytelling experiences that introduce new Champions and deepen emotional engagement with players. My responsibilities spanned from early conceptual development and story ideation to visual and creative oversight during production.
Working closely with the publishing creative team, I helped carve each cinematic’s creative purpose—how it should emotionally connect with players, align with campaign goals, and express the unique identity of each Champion. This involved pitching narrative concepts, story beats, and creative insights that shaped the overarching tone and structure of the films. Often, my role bridged strategy and storytelling—translating brand objectives and player insights into creative plots that felt both authentic and resonant within Riot’s universe.
I collaborated with the narrative, art, and production functions to craft the creative skeleton of each cinematic—ensuring every visual decision, scene transition, and emotional cue supported the intended story arc. This foundational work allowed downstream teams (animation, VFX, sound, and post) to operate within a clear, cohesive creative framework.
On the art direction front, I provided feedback and direction on composition, mood, and stylistic tone to ensure alignment with Riot’s visual standards and the character’s established lore. Whether through early concept boards or late-stage color scripts, I worked to maintain narrative coherence and elevate artistic execution across all creative touchpoints.
This process was inherently collaborative. Each cinematic required harmonizing inputs from multiple creative disciplines—writers, animators, illustrators, and producers. My role was to unify these voices under a consistent creative vision, guiding discussions to ensure narrative clarity and emotional depth remained at the core.
Beyond the storytelling itself, I contributed creative insights and feedback loops to strengthen how these mini cinematics complemented larger publishing efforts. This meant ensuring that tone, pacing, and visual direction reinforced broader campaign messaging and sustained the player’s sense of discovery and connection to new Champions.
Through this work, I helped expand the creative extensions of Wild Rift’s publishing efforts—pushing for more cinematic and emotionally layered storytelling while honoring the brand’s deep lore and worldbuilding traditions. Each cinematic became not just a product trailer, but a narrative touchpoint designed to enrich the player experience and bring Riot’s characters to life in new and compelling ways.