Territory Group studios were brought in to design screen graphics for the Netflix sci-fi adventure "Atlas," envisioning a futuristic take on humanoid artificial intelligence in the year 2043. The film follows Atlas Shepherd, a counterterrorism analyst with a deep distrust of AI who joins a military mission to capture a rogue fugitive. Territory Studio collaborated with Production Designer Barry Chusid from pre-production, creating over 150 screens for on-set use. Later, Cantina joined the project in post-production, working alongside Blondel Aidoo, Willie Marlett, and VFX Supervisor Lindy De Quattro. In total, more than 300 animated graphics were delivered to five different VFX teams, including our partners at Cantina Creative, showcased on a thrilling journey as humanity battles to reclaim its future from a deadly machine uprising.
In the creation of the Heads Up Display (HUD) visuals in the film, we expertly designed an extensive, and unified operating system that would remain recognizable across each visually distinct exoskeleton.
Pilots are surrounded by an augmented reality (AR) interface, connected to a futuristic cockpit inspired by avionics. Our representation of AR and spatial computing anticipates Neuralink synchronization that allows seamless integration between the brain and each robot’s onboard computer, a two way communication system that significantly enhances the capacity of the human brain.
Smith AI
Central to the storyline is the visualization of the Smith AI assistant, illustrating its interaction with protagonist Atlas Shepherd. The design process involved studying the AI’s personality to create a holographic companion with the ability to be deeply emotive, playful, and lifelike. The use of design elements to humanize Smith’s personality was crucial to a story exploring themes of technological integration, as well as the blurred line between human and machine.
Centurion Tech
Humanoid AI terrorist Harlan Shepherd and his agent Casca Decius use advanced technology to embark on a high-tech interplanetary mission to annihilate humanity. A sophisticated, multi-layered interface was designed with visual density and highly complex systems, information that is only accessible by highly trained AI intelligence.
ICN Interrogation Room
AI agent Casca Decius is captured and interrogated in a room surrounded by holographic screens of militaristic nature. These screens display Casca’s vitals and thoughts, enabling Atlas to extract key information about Harlan and trace his escape route to a planet deep in the Andromeda Galaxy.
On Set Graphics
Collaborating closely with production designer Barry Chusid, Territory identified key scenes to animate before production began. Our teams worked closely with the art department for over two years on graphics and holograms that help bring pivotal moments to life, delivering over 200 assets for screens on set.
