Creative Territory – Dan Herlihy

We’re really proud of our staff at Territory Studio. Even if not directly involved in the awesome work we deliver to our clients, we each appreciate creativity and being creative, in whatever format.

If you’re here, you’ve probably already seen our work. Now we invite you to get to know us better. Starting with our creative teams, we’ll be asking questions and sharing not only TS project work, but personal creative projects and what really inspires us day to day.

Dan Herlihy – Senior Motion Designer

To me, Animation is the ultimate form of empathy. I’ve always been passionate about Title Design as it seeks to encapsulate the mood & tone of a production whilst being a stand alone piece of craft in itself.
– Dan Herlihy

Tell us a bit about you:

I’m a Senior Motion Designer working across Film, VFX & Animation. Over the past few years, I’ve worked on high-end design projects in Advertising, Broadcast, Digital & Film.

Who and/or what inspires you creatively?

The great thing about working at such a multidisciplinary studio is that there is such a wide variety of disciplines, making collaboration with other artists at Territory an inspirational experience.

What seems to inspire me is seeing Creatives, Filmmakers, & Storytellers fuse different techniques to create something entirely new. I enjoy seeing CG Animation paired with live-action to give it a physicality & textural quality.

To me, Animation is the ultimate form of empathy. I’ve always been passionate about Title Design as it seeks to encapsulate the mood & tone of a production whilst being a stand-alone piece of craft in itself. Title sequences are great projects to work on as they are such an eclectic art form. Studios like ‘Prodigal Pictures’, ‘Elastic’, ‘Imaginary Forces’ & ‘Filmograph’ are just a handful of companies that inspire me in that respect.

How long have you been at Territory?

2 year – 5 months.

Why did you want to work at Territory?

I wanted to work for Territory not only for the studio’s eclectic portfolio but also because of its involvement in progressing a production’s narrative. Working with Directors, Production Designers & Visual Effects Supervisors to push striking visuals into a cinematic art form. For as long as I can remember i’ve been interested in the grey area between Film & Art, Territory felt like a great fit to explore that world to its fullest.

User Interface Design has been an integral part of Territory’s journey as a company and it’s been brilliant working with and learning from some of the leading UI Designers/ Art Directors out there. It’s important in Film Design to think progressively, push visual boundaries & fundamentally enrich the Production’s narrative. Territory Studio is a place that takes this incredibly seriously as we know a great story is key.

What’s been your favourite TS project to work on so far and why?

Each project has its own particular challenges & moments to push your craft.

My favourite project to date has been Art Directing & Project Lead on the End Titles for ‘Spiderman Miles Morales’. We were briefed to create a visually arresting sequence that reflects Miles’s unique journey throughout the game. The team was absolutely brilliant & it’s been great to see the titles so well received. We beautified frozen moments in time that reflected Miles’ character arc throughout the game. What we take pride in at Territory is ‘World Creation’ and we wanted the colour schemes of the individual worlds to echo the conflict Miles faces throughout the game.

Click for more details of our work in ‘MARVEL’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’.

Check out our Making Of Reel below.