MPC recently collaborated on an effects-heavy spot for Virgin Atlantic via RKCR/Y&R. Directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet through Partizan, the spot features a cast of five super-humans who were “born different” than the rest of us. We follow them as they develop their powers from childhood, eventually showcasing their talents as a group of exceptional Virgin Atlantic staff.
Due to the scale of the shoot, the MPC VFX team was brought in at a very early stage, helping to work out concepts for individual shots.
“It was great working with Antoine and Rainey Kelly,” said VFX supervisor Rob Walker. “The guys came to us with some really cool ideas for us to realize, such as a little boy catching live fish with his bare hands. We had an intensive shoot in South Africa and a challenging deadline to meet, but this was the perfect job for MPC as it combined all of our disciplines.”
The piece opens with a stunning shot of the Earth from space created using a combination of Nuke and matte painting, while the following DNA sequence was made entirely in CG.
The hologram featured in the piece was created using CAD data and intricate sketches provided by Virgin Atlantic engineers to match the exact chairs of the Airbus A340-600. MPC’s various departments collaborated on the design room showcasing the hologram. The VFX studio designed the look, while the futuristic 3D images were created in CG and beamed onto glass and invisible screens. The shots were composited to give the final effect.
“We’ve had an excellent team working on this project, everyone’s dedication and passion has helped to craft a wonderful piece of work,” said Walker. “Our CG department has created holograms, paper planes, an aircraft and a DNA sequence. We’ve also completed extensive rig removal, multiple pass compositing and DMP work to embellish and create environments”
The climatic end scene was shot on greenscreen and the team created the Virgin plane in the background in CG, using CAD data and stills for reference.
Jean-Clement Soret and George Kyriacou collaborated on the grade, complementing the cinematic scope of the spot.
