Broadcaster Channel 5 has partnered with Gramercy Park Studios (GPS) to create a series of VFX-driven promos for the imminent return of Big Brother. Featuring the show’s presenters, Emma Willis and Rylan Clark-Neal, almost every element of the campaign was created in post production by GPS.
In both the 20 and 30 second promos, Rylan is seen smashing a sledgehammer against an enormous mirror, shattering it into the form of the new Big Brother logo. The shards of glass then fly past the presenters and towards the screen, creating an unsettling but visually stunning 3D experience.
Richard Ireland, Managing Director of GPS, says: “It was a pleasure to work with Channel 5 and the team on this project. The promo really shows off the talent and facilities we have at Gramercy Park Studios. And being able to provide Offline (including on-set editing), VFX, CGI and Colour Grading all under one roof really showcased the benefits of our end-to-end offering in keeping the creative as the most important thing.”
Matt Lowery, Head of 3D at GPS, comments: “Broadcast work is usually a lot of fun and this job was no different. We received the kind of brief that CG artists really love: ‘It just needs to look beautiful’ was repeated throughout.”
Prior to the shoot Mark Beardall, Head of 2D at GPS, created a pre-visualisation in Flame that proved invaluable in tackling Channel 5’s intricate creative brief. Matt explains: “Our initial contact with the Channel 5 team revealed ambitious plans, highlighting what a technical challenge it was going to be to achieve the colour-reverse mirror effect for the opening shot. With the help of the technical pre-visualisation, we came up with a plan to get exactly what we needed from the green screen shoot.”
