Narrative worlds for artists
Retrever builds hand-crafted cinematic universes for the music industry.
ALAN WALKER: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OFFICIAL ANIMATED FILM
1. NARRATIVE STRATEGY
Transforming song concepts into scalable, ownable intellectual property and lore.
2. CINEMATIC PRODUCTION
Grounding our work in storytelling, real-world physics, & cinematography.
3. VISUAL IDENTITY
Using lighting, atmosphere, & color to define the emotional tone of an artist’s era.
Project Details
Alan Walker – “Faded” 10th Anniversary Official Animated Film
— CLIENT
Kreatell International
— GOAL
Celebrate a decade of Alan Walker's "Faded," and showcase the journey from a solitary bedroom producer to a global stadium act.
— ROLE
Creative Direction
Narrative Animation
— CREDITS
Director & Producer: Hanlin Su
CG Supervisor: David Berube
Lead Animator: Unixety
Environment Artist: Micky Wright
Creative Consultants: Jenstine
Additional Support: Jingwei Mu, Gwenaelle Du-Thumm, Cedrus Fink, Bella Kwong, Cammy Tan, Zhiyi Lin
THE NARRATIVE:
The script evolved from a direct biography into a more universal story about the courage to create and the community that lifts us up. We built the narrative around key visual metaphors, like Alan’s late dog Happy and the glowing screen of FL Studio, to represent the warmth our passions brings.
THE EXECUTION:
We approached this production like a live-action film, grounding the story in tangible, human origins. We hand-crafted a 1:1 digital replica of the iconic Linnahall arena and reconstructed Alan’s 2015 bedroom using archival photos. The finale was engineered to represent the scale of the community he built; using a custom pipeline in Blender and Cycles, we rendered a crowd of 50,000 unique animated fans, creating a sea of stars that surrounds the artist.
THE PHILOSOPHY:
In an era of shortcuts, we believe this level of hand-crafted detail is the only way to capture the soul of an artist. This film is a tribute to the journey, the fans, and the lore that started it all.
THE RETREVER ETHOS
Named after our CEO (Chief Energy Officer), Marshmallow.
1. RETRIEVE.
We bring narratives back to the surface. We uncover the core story that defines the artist.
2. LOCK ON.
We treat the creative vision like a tennis ball. We do not lose sight of it until it is delivered.
3. STAY.
We are built for the long haul. We look beyond standalone projects to partner with the artist to build a lasting era.
Hanlin Su
Founder & Creative Director
Hanlin is a director focused on narrative animation and cinematic worldbuilding. Prior to establishing Retrever, he built an independent digital animation brand that generated over 50 million organic views and produced a series of animated music films for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.
David Berube
Head of Production
David serves as the technical architect behind the studio’s visual output, bringing over a decade of production experience to the team. He oversees the entire 3D pipeline: from asset creation to final render, ensuring that high-concept creative is executed with cinematic fidelity and technical precision.
