What remains in the rubble of a technology-driven world run by robots? Mehdi Hadi’s most recent project, “Memories,” created for the Motion Plus Design event in Paris, explores themes of loss, destruction, and the human experience in a distinctly inhuman setting.

Mehdi “Mhad” Hadi is an award-winning director, concept artist, and VFX motion designer. He crafts game cinematics, designing captivating title sequences, and spearheading innovative motion design projects. He collaborates with agencies and studios to contribute to a diverse range of projects that push the boundaries of creativity. 

Hadi creates projects that immerse audiences and spark intrigue. From detailed scenes to intricate characters, Hadi translates his imaginative ideas into captivating visual experiences. Recently, he has transitioned from motion designer to director. “As a motion designer, I’ve always been able to adapt. I’ve learned to work with all kinds of briefs and styles, which helped me develop my workflow and strong visual identity. That versatility is still at the core of what I do today,” he said. Because Hadi tended to manage every step of a project himself, over time, people started calling him a “director” simply because he was already creating entire films on his own.

Most of Hadi’s work is in-game cinematics, high-end commercial visuals, and projects with a strong sci-fi or futuristic aesthetic. This includes creating large-scale visual content for live shows and international DJs, designing concert visuals that blend narrative, energy, and immersive world-building. 

Hadi started studying how films were lit, framed, and paced, which reshaped the way he eventually built images. Now he spends time analyzing shots, breaking down color, lenses, mood, rhythm, and then translating that into digital work. 

This creative exploration had him experimenting with different pipelines, tools, and visual languages. Hadi said, “Over the years, I’ve experimented with different pipelines, tools, and visual languages. At some point, all those tests, failures, and obsessions blended into something that felt like my style: a mix of cinematic realism, sci-fi atmosphere, and a slight dystopian tone.”

When speaking of the inspiration behind “Memories,” Hadi explains, “It started with the title. I wanted to explore the idea of memory, not just as data, but as something emotional, fragile, and fragmented. From there, the narrative naturally shaped itself around the things I’m most drawn to: post-apocalyptic sci-fi, robots, and dark, high-contrast worlds. I wanted the film to feel like a memory itself: detailed but incomplete, beautiful but damaged.”

Character design process using ZBrush

Hadi relies on several tools in ZBrush to add detail to characters, mainly VDM tools and alpha brushes. “ZBrush is an amazing tool for design exploration and ideation.” Because he feels as though he’s only using about ten percent of the tool’s potential, he claims that “there’s always more to learn and experiment with.” 

For background and secondary objects, Hadi relies on procedural textures and object-based shaders that are available directly inside Cinema 4D with Redshift. Since he he doesn’t always have time to unwrap everything manually, he incorporates procedural workflows to help him keep good visual quality without slowing down production. For key elements and characters, he uses Substance Painter, starting with smart materials and then refining them with some hand-painting to add custom details, storyline wear, and unique surface imperfections. 

Other ways Hadi works incudes Kitbashing, which he does daily. “Over the years, I’ve built a substantial collection of 3D assets. I have my go-to libraries like Big Medium Small and Kitbash3D, plus many smaller packs from different 3D marketplaces. However, lately I’ve been relying more on my own custom-built kit assets to match my style, workflow, and design language,” he said. His process is to start by placing simple shapes to explore silhouettes, compositions, and proportions. Then he can refine the elements to create a cohesive final design. 

When it comes to mood, Hadi relies heavily on color grading and LUTs, which can push the atmosphere and emotional tone further. “I apply color grading very early in the 3D process—not just at the end. This way, when I render a sequence, it already carries a specific tone and visual identity. The final color grade is then lighter and faster because ninety percent of the mood was already built into the renders. 

According to Hadi, “The most difficult part was capturing the essence of what the world was like. Deciding on the artistic direction is always difficult.” He also understood that render time would be an issue because of the number of objects in each scene. So, he used PNG plates to lighten rendering in many of the shots. “For me, a true cinematic experience happens when the audience feels fully immersed in the world and emotionally connected to what they see, even if the story isn’t fully explained. And if they’re still thinking about it after the film ends, then I’ve succeeded.”

For information: 

Mehdi Hadi 

Maxon ZBrush