Collaborating with Production Designer Simon Bowles this project began with concept and development of graphic languages and the creation of screen graphics across all sets, then took an exciting and experimental turn when director David Kerr asked us to take on a CG VR sequence.
The stand-alone sequence supports a live action VR training scene in which Johnny English literally takes virtual into reality. To deliver the sequence, the team worked from a loose storyboard and film plates and created virtual environments and characters in the training programme. Working closely with director David Kerr, actor and producer Rowan Atkinson and editor Mark Everson, we discussed details of character animation, shots, camera angles, pacing and CG realism. Our own sense of comic timing was also really important in this process, as the storyboard left a lot of freedom in terms of character interaction.
A comic hero piece, we created and delivered 15 shots and over 7K frames, amounting to nearly 5 minutes of CG animation that was intercut with live action shots for the final sequence.