Jurassic World Dominion Activation

Client: Universal Pictures

Category: Experiential - Entertainment

A mere 65 million years in the making, in 2022 a lifesize Giganotosaurus was set loose in three of Europe's major capitals.

Supersizing the Giga

Wrangling an asset that was built for film brought its own unique challenges and the original model contained a mass of fine detail and textures. Scaling it up for an entirely different real-world context, whilst managing movement, interaction, light and shadows, all required extensive pre-planning to ensure the illusion worked. Meanwhile, limited access to the physical sites and a full size screen set-up, led us to adopt various technological solutions to stress-test the content. This included the creation of a working 3D model of Trafalgar Square, derived from film quality LiDAR scans, which was then imported into VR, so we could accurately judge alignment and viewing perspectives.

Trafalgar Square, London

Behind-The-Scenes

Timelapse

Environmental Simulation

The LiDAR was cleaned up in Maya and Houdini to produce a photorealistic model, which not only gave us a fully controllable backplate, but also an accurate terrain for the walking dinosaur. Meanwhile, High Dynamic Range Images captured at each location were used to simulate the precise lighting conditions at different times of day. Whilst ILM’s team worked to deliver bespoke animations, our team focussed on simulating how natural light scenarios would not only affect the asset, but also the wider environment. These studies were then used to inform screen positions and visitor flows, to avoid shadows and preserve the forced-perspective illusion.