The VFX team had access to Boeing CAD data to help the CG build. Along with official livery artwork, the VFX supervisors took countless texture reference images of the plane for hi-res texturing in Mari. This was then shared with Boeing and BA at each stage of the process to make sure all tiny details were correct, so ensuring the plane’s tight shots would stand-up to close inspection. Almost every shot required some level of delicate adjustment to make sure the plane fitted into its environment.

Location footage was full of people and vehicles, which had to be stripped out to reflect the correct traffic conditions, plus health and safety. Road surfaces were recreated or extended and Union Jack flags and festive bunting were added to many shots. The Olympic Stadium was cleared of all its work-in-progress and building paraphernalia so that the final scenes could be dressed with the likes of giant CG ribbons that stretch from floor to roof around the entire stadium. The stadium – which Framestore had already recreated in CG, way back in 2011, in preparation for the inevitable influx of Olympics productions – was further enhanced with Olympic branding and a full CG crowd.

Compositing was achieved by combining Nuke and Flame, with the Flame team mainly prepping backgrounds and dressing shots, whilst the Nuke team took on the majority of 3D compositing. Framestore’s colourist, Simon Bourne, worked closely with the team throughout the process to ensure a smooth grading work flow for a job where the majority of shots were rebuilt from a variety of sources.

Source: Framestore