Creative brief

Frankenshark posed a simple but thrilling challenge: if you could design the ultimate predator, which features would you borrow – and from which sharks?

Working with Like A Shot for Discovery’s one-off special, we were tasked with visualising a monstrous hybrid shark, pulling traits from multiple species to create something both biologically plausible and terrifyingly new.

This wasn’t about realism alone – it was about engineering fear. Think: hammerhead sensors, bull shark interior organs, great white bite.

Our approach

We began by referencing anatomical structures from a range of real sharks – focusing on key adaptations in vision, speed, bite force, and camouflage.

Using sculpting tools and 3D lookdev, we experimented with combinations that felt both cohesive and predatory. Fins were exaggerated for stealth and propulsion, jaws restructured to heighten impact, and textures blended species-specific patterns into one skin.

The creature design had to hold up in both hero shots and animated sequences – so everything from silhouette to muscle flow was refined for clarity and threat.

The team at Like A Shot gave us room to explore, but with a clear mandate: make it fast, make it plausible, make it scary.

The Results

A biologically-inspired CGI apex predator – stitched from nature’s most lethal parts and delivered in time for Discovery’s Shark Week.

The special premiered to UK audiences as part of a globally recognised broadcast event.

It’s more than a shark documentary—it’s an experiment in digital marine creature engineering and predator psychology. It feeds curiosity, offers educational value, and stirs debate about the boundaries between nature and design. Plus, it stands out in Shark Week as a hybrid of documentary, CGI spectacle, and conceptual science.

Dive into the ocean’s wildest thought experiment. Watch Frankenshark today, and witness how far the edge of imagination can swim.

A quote from Discovery’s official Instagram for Frankenshark during Shark Week 2025:

“When building this ‘Frankenshark,’ the shark experts spared no details and the final result is terrifying!”