We’re delighted to announce the trailer release for Fireworks!
A tense political thriller set simultaneously in an MI6 ops room and a Tripoli marketplace, Fireworks is one of the very first films in the UK to be made using real-time Virtual Production technology within an LED volume.
Virtual production allows filmmakers to see visual effects in real time as they shoot the film, by combining cutting-edge games engine technology, like Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, with large high-resolution LED screens to create highly-realistic 3D scenes live on set.
Scenes can be filmed in-camera without the need for further VFX work in post-production, lighting from the scene can be used to authentically light the cast, scene changes and transformations can be made in real time and the cast can see and respond to the virtual world around them.
Directed by two-time Oscar and BAFTA Award winner Paul Franklin, produced by BAFTA Award winner Annalise Davis for Wilder Films, and written by acclaimed screenwriter and playwright Steven Lally, Fireworks is set to release in January 2022.
A Wilder Films production, Fireworks was created in collaboration with our partners Dimension, with support from Epic MegaGrants and Lipsync Post.
FIREWORKS Trailer from Annalise Davis, Wilder Films on Vimeo.
Speaking about the short, Director Paul Franklin said: “The LED screens and realistic graphics bring sets and locations to life on a studio stage. This creates an engaging and dynamic space for the cast to work in, far removed from the blank expanse of a green screen. The actors are placed right at the heart of the world that the film is building, allowing them true and meaningful dramatic interaction with their dynamic, complex characters and this timely and compelling story.”
Namit Malhotra, DNEG Chairman and CEO, added: “The creation of filmed content has followed a linear process for over 100 years. Now, Virtual Production and real-time workflows are bringing about a massive transformation in the way we create content, opening up new creative avenues and introducing new efficiencies and flexibility. Paul Franklin has been an important part of DNEG since the very beginning, and when he came to me and described the vision behind his latest directorial project I was immediately onboard. The real-time technology and tools that we have developed here at DNEG, alongside Paul’s creative vision and the power of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, have allowed us to take major steps forward in the art of storytelling with Fireworks, as we have with so many of our previous award-winning projects.”
StoryFutures Academy is releasing five behind-the-scenes films about the production of Fireworks, which are designed to help make virtual production simple, accessible, and easy to understand for all audiences. Each five-minute film will look at a key area of the Virtual Production process, as well as the techniques, challenges, and benefits involved, and be released on a weekly basis on their website.