The title sequence for Playing to Survive: von Cramm vs Hitler, a feature documentary streaming on PBS, tells the story of legendary German tennis player Gottfried von Cramm, whose athletic grace and defiance stood in contrast to the Nazi regime’s power in the 1930s.
Airplan Studio was honored to bring this project to life, blending historical narrative with a personal story of resilience. The brief was to create a sequence that captured von Cramm’s on-court brilliance and the oppression he faced off it — particularly his quiet defiance of Hitler.
Balancing historical accuracy with emotion, we used archival footage, tennis choreography, and abstract visuals to evoke the duality of von Cramm’s public heroism and private turmoil. With period-specific imagery and hand-crafted transitions, we mirrored the rising stakes of his personal and professional struggles, creating a dynamic yet restrained visual experience.
