VFX Supervisor | Lead 2D Artist | VFX Lead | Hiero Artist | Nuke Artist

I was the Onset Visual Effects Supervisor and Project Lead at The Mill working closely with Director Francois Rousselet and Karmarama Group ECD and Partner Sam Walker to make this epic film.

Twenty-seven musical stars were filmed on a green screen, before The Mill’s 2D team seamlessly brought them together to appear in the majestic Alexandra Palace. The orchestra was then enhanced with a host of effects created in 2D and 3D including a crystal particle system surrounding Stevie Wonder, Lorde’s CG wings, a kaleidoscope of butterflies sitting on Elton John, Kylie Minogue’s CG bubbles and an exotic jungle backdrop surrounding the original Beach Boy Brian Wilson.

The Mill’s Matte painting team worked on a series of ornate Alexandra Palace backdrops, as well as conceptualising and creating the final ethereal cloud scenes from scratch, which feature fully CG clouds, hot air balloons and the final touch, a small animated feather, seen drifting down to gently rest on Brian Wilson’s piano.

We used pretty much every department at The Mill, using a huge array of software including Houdini, Maya, Nuke, Flame, Photoshop and Hiero to bring it to fruition and create the spectacular final result. This was a incredibly creative piece, from Jamie Cullum flying through CG clouds, to compositing a tiger on Brian Wilson’s piano! It was a team effort of immense proportions, involving hugely talented artists and I am very proud to have been a part of such an exciting project.

Have a look at the behind the scenes interview at FX Guide.

And of course at the amazing breakdown of the Visual Effects of the project: