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Archive

  1. One Strange Rock

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    Moonraker were commissioned as lead creative partner to collaborate with Framestore’s Television Department on the intricate and thrilling CG sequences for this ten part series for National Geographic.

    Produced by Nutopia, with Executive Producer Darren Aronofsky, the series takes the viewer on a journey exploring the wonder and awe-inspiring stories that make up the unique and fragile planet Earth.

    The series was hosted by Will Smith and guided by an elite group of astronauts who have a unique perspective on earth.

    Moonraker were also commissioned to develop the overall series style, creating a brand guide for the series covering off all areas of VFX. We combined a palette of magical, organic, spectacular and sci-fi effects which operated across our 4-key worlds to reveal the planet’s interconnected life-support systems in all their strangeness.

    The key challenge was to develop a style to visualise both micro and macro elements of life that cannot be seen with the naked eye, for example in the episode ‘Gasp’ we helped to explain the process of transpiration, depicting water’s journey from the rain forest floor, through the trees and into the clouds. In the ‘Shield’ episode we created views inside and outside our planet, revealing how life on Earth is protected. Our numerous VFX sequences illustrated the deadly radiation given off by the sun, the atmosphere, weather systems and planetary core.

    From the magnetosphere surrounding earth to the inside of a coil of DNA, we created a look that felt as though it could have been captured in camera. We achieved this by using a combination of CG elements with real purposefully shot FX elements by specialist Chris Parks to create a very organic and optical feel to the visual storytelling.

    ”It was a fantastic project to work on and to collaborate with Framestore, Nutopia and Darren Aronofsky. The visuals across the whole series are stunning and we are proud that Moonraker has played such a part in that” – Simon Clarke, Creative Director.

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: National Geographic
    Production Company: Nutopia
    Executive Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Jane Root
    Series Producers: Nigel Walk, Arif Nurmohamed
    Directors: Graham Booth, Nic Stacey, Oli Twinch, Nat Sharman, Chris Riley, Nick Jordan, Alice Jones
    VFX Creative Director: Simon Clarke
    VFX Creative Lead: Graham Stott
    VFX Producers: Jon Grafton, Scott Metcalfe
    3D Supervisor: Tom Downes

  2. Lost Cities – The Floods

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    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: National Geographic
    Production Company: Caravan Media
    VFX Creative Director: Graham Stott
    Head Of Production: Hannah Lewis

  3. Living Volcanoes

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    Each and every 24 hours, 30 volcanoes erupt across the earth. These magnificent and terrifying wonders are both a danger to, and a source of life on our planet.

    Moonraker collaborated with True to Nature on this enlightening story, telling the fascinating truth behind one the greatest natural phenomena of the world.

    Using NASA data sets we developed an aesthetic to illustrate the sheer volume and significance of volcanoes on earth providing UHD shots that helped tell the story in a compelling way. We also created atmospheric shots showing the molten Hadean Earth as it was 4.6 billion years ago.

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: PBS
    Production Company: True to Nature
    VFX Producer: Scott Metcalfe
    Producer: Alex Ranken
    Creative Lead: Graham Stott

  4. Worlds Biggest Beasts

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    We were commissioned by Blink Films to create revelatory graphics and Visual effects for a documentary mini-series exploring the largest animals ever to exist on Earth. Our team built a number of photorealistic creatures and stylised motion graphics depicting such beasts as a Dragon fly the size of a small child, a snake that could swallow a man whole, and a marine reptile with a bite twice as powerful as a T-Rex.

    One of our biggest challenges was putting feathers on the Pelagornis, a bird with the wingspan of a fighter jet. We used specialist software to achieve this and then analysed the motion of other soaring birds to help us understand the way in which these huge beasts flew. We worked with Blink Films to ensure a high level of scientific accuracy when modelling and rigging from scratch and we were fortunate to work with many academics and specialists as our interpretations of it evolved.

    Our branding and design skills also played strength to the overall look of the film, including the design of the titles and break bumpers.

    I can’t recommend Moonraker highly enough. I was bowled over by what they created for us and I’d work with them again in an instant. On a tight turnaround, and with a demanding brief they delivered stunning VFX with wow factor. Their creative flair, and great communication meant that working with them was always a pleasure.

    — Oliver Twinch, series producer Blink Films.

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: Channel 5
    Production Company: Blink Films
    Series Producer: Oliver Twinch
    VFX Creative Director: Simon Clarke
    VFX Supervisor: Graham Stott

  5. Wonders of the Monsoon

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    The BBC NHU team in Bristol chose Moonraker to provide the visual effects for their 5-part primetime BBC2 series that reveals how life flourishes under the tumultuous monsoon weather system which annually transforms a large part of our planet, from the Himalayas to northern Australia.. Using a specially developed proprietary Earth asset, we were tasked with creating epic photorealistic views of the Earth to help explain the process of how the Monsoon forms.

    We wanted the view of the Earth to feel as cinematic as possible and to do this we needed to be able to light the earth with a low sun, but that meant we needed to have volume on the clouds, cloud shadows and specular highlights on water surfaces.

    This was achieved by combining real cloud imagery with a mesh model of the cloud structure to give it 3-dimensionality and by referencing hundreds of Astronaut photographs of the Earth taken from the International Space station.

    Series Producer, Paul Bradshaw, was keen to make the shots as scientifically accurate as possible, so using specialist time re-mapping software we integrated real time-lapse cloud data supplied in collaboration with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

    Other shots included deep time-lapse views of the Earth showing the effect of the Monsoon on specific regions and a new technique for creating helicopter style aerial shots using multiple image based projection, turning real stills photography into moving imagery.

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: BBC2
    Production Company: BBC NHU
    Series Producer: Paul Bradshaw
    Executive Producer: James Honeybourne
    VFX Creative Director: Simon Clarke

  6. Volatile Earth

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    For this three-part documentary series, cinema-grade CGI was used to recreate some of the most extreme catastrophes to have hit Earth in the last 100,000 years.

    The series followed scientists who are experts in natural disasters on the search to identify the most extreme catastrophes to have hit the Earth and piece together exactly what happened from the evidence left in their wake.

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: PBS Nova / More 4
    Production Company: Blink Films
    Executive Producer: Dan Chambers
    Series Producer: Oliver Twinch
    VFX Supervisor: Graham Stott
    VFX Producer: Scott Metcalfe

  7. VAX

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    Moonraker were commissioned by fellow Bristolians, Omni Productions, to collaborate on this TV Commercial for Vax’s new Blade.

    The challenge was to bring the house to life as the Vax Blade efficiently vacuumed up the daily mess.

    We worked closely with the director to choreograph a specific set allowing us to weave in photo real animations. Our on set supervision included capturing photogrammetry assets and HDRI light maps to recreate key props as fully lit and textured 3D objects exactly matching what was shot in camera.

    The end result was a seamless blend of CG and live action bringing the house to life and emphasising the daily challenge of keeping it clean.

    Key Credits

    Executive Creative Director: Richard Penfold
    Executive Producer: Darren Finch
    Producer: Rebecca Brooks
    Director: Sam Washington
    VFX Executive Producer: Jon Grafton
    VFX Supervisor: Jem Grimshaw
    VFX Producer: Emma Kolasinska

  8. Secrets – Series 3 & 4

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    Commissioned by Smithsonian Channel, Secrets follows a team of investigators around the globe, using modern science and technology to uncover ancient mysteries and puzzles from our past combining documentary, drama reconstruction and stunning visual effects.

    Moonraker were commissioned by Blink Films to create a series of shots to help bring to life the ancient mysteries being uncovered. This varied from full CG builds of ancient cities and civilizations through to helping to guide the audience through the stories, reconstructing ancient scrolls and tablets and helping piece together journeys and geographical discoveries along the way. We developed a series style to compliment the editorial and bring past treasures to life.

    Also broadcast on Channel 4 as Treasures Decoded

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: Smithsonian / Channel 4
    Production Company: Blink Films
    Series Producer: Oliver Twinch (Series 3) Michael Douglas (Season 4)
    VFX Supervisor: Graham Stott
    VFX Producer: Scott Metcalfe

  9. Planet Earth II

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    We were commissioned by the BBC to create the opening title sequence, branding and VFX for the iconic second series of the critically acclaimed natural history strand, Planet Earth.
    Shot in 4K, we were briefed to create ‘closer than ever’ detail in the creation of imagery used across the series to ensure the Ultra High Definition footage was spectacular on screen for viewers.

    2016

    For the iconic series opener we created a highly detailed bespoke earth texture to work in UHD that introduced the title with a majestic sunset over the Earth from space, capturing the cinematic beauty of our planet. The branding included the creation of the “iconic image” for the series to be used on the cover the accompanying book.

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: BBC
    Production Company: BBC NHU
    Executive Producer: Michael Gunton
    Series Producer: Tom Hugh-Jones
    VFX Creative Director: Simon Clarke
    VFX Supervisor: Graham Stott
    VFX Producer: Jon Grafton

  10. A Perfect Planet

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    Oceans, sunlight, weather and volcanoes – together these powerful yet fragile forces allow life to flourish in astonishing diversity. They make Earth truly unique – a perfect planet.” Sir David Attenborough.

    This epic landmark 5 part series produced by Silverback Films for the BBC was 4 years in the making with filming taking place in 31 countries across 6 continents. Moonraker created groundbreaking VFX to accompany the incredible footage, utilising cutting edge technology and the latest scientific and geographical data.

     

    The breadth of our work aligned with the ambition of the series to represent the fragile yet perfect balance of the planet we call home. From unprecedented low earth orbit views of volcanoes and remote coral atolls, to incredible depictions of hurricanes and ocean currents, Moonraker developed and produced spectacular images of earth that could not be captured in camera.

    “My experience working with the Moonraker team on A Perfect Planet has certainly reinforced why they are so often the ‘go-to’ option for visual effects in Science and Natural History. The low earth orbit shots were incredibly cutting edge and everything they delivered sat seamlessly into the edits, perfectly complimenting the cinematic scale of the photography”.

    Huw Cordey – Series Producer at Silverback Films

    “With this project, we have been able to push the boundaries of the data available to us, using some of the most accurate images obtainable. By combining high-resolution elevation data with satellite imagery on the mapping space, we have been able to overlay both data sets to produce incredibly detailed shots.”

    Tom Downes – Head of 3D at Moonraker

    Key Credits

    Broadcaster: BBC
    Production Company: Silverback Films
    Executive Producer: Alastair Fothergill
    Series Producer: Huw Cordey
    Directors: Huw Cordey, Nick Shoolingin-Jordan, Ed Charles
    VFX Creative Directors: Simon Clarke, Graham Stott
    VFX Producers: Jon Grafton, Scott Metcalfe
    3D Supervisor: Tom Downes

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