ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Digital Design alum Arm Sattavorn creates stunning motion graphics for NBC Sports Paris Olympics

By VFS, on October 23, 2024

It’s been over 125 years since the first Olympic Games took place in Athens Greece. To this day, The Olympics remains one of the most anticipated global events, growing in size and magnitude with each new competition. Just this past summer in Paris, both kayak and break dancing made their official Olympics debut, and a variety of changes were implemented to a handful of other sports including boxing, sailing, track and field, and more. Of course, the athletes are always the highlight, but there is so much creative work being done behind the scenes by some incredible artists to bring this event to life.  

Vancouver Film School’s Digital Design alum Arm Sattavorn was just one of these artists who brought some creative flare to the Paris Olympics. Contracted by NBC Sports, Arm created animations and motion designs for broadcast that captured the rich art & architectural history of Paris and showcased a variety of events & anticipated matchups during the games. The result was truly incredible: 
 

 

But how did this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity come about? In 2023, Arm was contacted by David Barton, VP of Creative at NBC Sports, to be part of a larger project that the company was working on to air during The Olympics. Arm was a huge fan of the concept and art direction which was described as ‘art de vivre, chic, sport + style, delight, whimsy, inclusive, humanity, beauty, and elegance.’ Talk about a vision! The end product aired across NBC, Peacock, their cable networks (USA, CNBC, E!), and more, and even included its own social media package. 

 “If you removed the sports aspect from this package, it could be used for a very chic fashion channel” Arm comments. “It isn’t the typical masculine and flashy style we usually see for sports programs.” This is very refreshing to see indeed. 

Suffice to say, Arm jumped at the chance to work for one of television’s foremost broadcasters on a project surrounding one of the largest (if not the largest) global phenomena. Arm explains that part of his role was to set the tone and motion direction for the game highlights and promo videos. Luckily, he was supplied beautiful artwork by talented illustrators. Arm asked himself: “How can I emphasize the illustrations and create a feeling that makes the artwork feel alive?” 

As Arm began to come up with ideas to do exactly that, he would sketch them out to create a rough storyboard which helped him flesh out these concepts and discover any hidden angles or potential obstacles that might arise. His process involved playing with ‘rhythm and tempo’ and looking for interesting ways to translate the action of each specific sport into animation. 

He cites beach volleyball as a particularly challenging sport; having received only one illustration, Arm still wanted to create fun motion that would simultaneously look good and recreate the same tension you would feel watching or playing volleyball. “It was hard to wrap my head round the scope and scale of the project” Arm comments, looking back on the experience. “At the end of the day, I’m very happy with what I accomplished on the project.” 

Arm Sattavorn’s motion graphic work highlighted a variety of Olympic events including ‘Women’s Beach Volleyball’, ‘Men’s Hurdles’, and ‘Rhythmic Gymnastics’.

We spoke at length with Arm about his work on this project (summarized above), but also about his experience as a Vancouver Film School student, his career since graduating, and what lies in store for the digital design industry:  

How was your experience attending VFS?  

My VFS experience was an important chapter of my life. It was very fun and challenging, and I learned a lot – and not just from the classes, but also from my peers around me. The environment and my classmates during my time at VFS set me in a creative learning mode. I also made good friends from my program and other programs at VFS who were passionate and motivated. The feeling lifted me up and pushed me to make my own work better.  
 
As an international student from Thailand, I found the Digital Design program helped me see the clear picture of the industry, gave me all the tools and training and all the skills the industry wanted, and most importantly, connected me with the industry. It was a perfect transition into the North American animation industry. 

What have been some career highlights for you? 

I’ve worked with a lot of studios that are well known in the industry, and a lot of well-known brands. But what matters most to me is focusing on the fun stuff in each project because that’s why I love what I do. The fun and excitement of doing animation and motion design is my passion, and the bonus is getting to work with great clients and make an income doing what I love. For each project, I always remind myself to focus on creating something fun because that is what really satisfies me.  

How do you view the current state of the digital design industry?  What can current & future designers expect? 

In the music industry they say: ‘No one can tell you how to write a hit song!’ These days, we have a lot of different influences in the industry and many styles to pick from for the message you want to share and the story you want to tell. It can feel overwhelming and even stressful to keep up with the different style trends and try to predict where the industry is going. The best advice I can share is to stay true to yourself and it will make you excited to create. 

Any advice for aspiring designers? 

Accept who you are and let the fun lead you! 

Aspiring designers – if you’re interested in a vibrant career in graphic, motion, or UX/UI design, Vancouver Film School WANTS YOU! Click here to learn how our accelerated training launches your industry design career in just 1 short year. 

Back to THE BLOG homepage

Chat With Us

International Chat:
Asia | Others