Making of: “Eurostar” with Nick Meek
‘You see more when you don’t fly’ is Eurostar’s latest TV and print campaign. Trying to train an enormous bird with a brain size of a walnut is challenging enough, but what to do when there’s only Emus or randy ostriches available at the time of preproduction? A CG ostrich comes the rescue…
Photographer Nick Meek asked us to hop into the nest to hatch the unusual tourist on the screen. Before heading to Amsterdam and Paris the team covered several locations in London, accompanied by our local CGI director Christoph Bolten and post artist Maria Luisa Calosso. With the support of an endearing and very patient cardboard bird, our CGI experts made sure to gather all necessary elements and spheres for the comprehensive post production process.
Hatching a plan for a CGI Ostrich:
Besides matching camera angles, scale and lighting, it was crucial to have the bird appear as realistic as possible, without looking too anthropomorphic – detail in the eyes and beak was the key here, and finally some hand-drawing of the feathers for the most naturalistic look possible.
Watch our new feathered friend come alive in these videos!
You can see the whole project on our site here and on Behance here.
Client: Eurostar
Photographer: Nick Meek
Agency: Engine
Creative Director: David Dearlove
Art Buyer: Kate Blumer
CGI Artists: Yuriy Dulich, Luca Veronese, Carlos Pecino / Recom Farmhouse
Post Artists: Maria Luisa Calosso, Nuria Segura, Pepe Alram / Recom Farmhouse
Photographer’s Agent: Siobhan Squire, Charlotte Dale