Framestore Helps Realise a Wonderland for Latest Celebrity Cruises Commercial

Framestore is thrilled to have partnered with production company Iconoclast and advertising agency Lucky Generals on the latest dream-like commercial for Celebrity Cruises. 

The one minute film follows a passenger on board the new Celebrity Edge cruise ship as she tours the vessel in a series of Alice in Wonderland-esque sequences. Framestore was key in making sure that Iconoclast’s vision came to life and did so using a number of techniques, including the addition of digital matte paintings to replace views out of the ship windows, the creation of smoke-like effects, the replacement of bluescreen and making the film’s main subject look ten times smaller. 

Talking about the work on the commercial, VFX supervisor Leo Costa said: "The team here at Framestore enjoyed working with the production team and the clients to create this really imaginative commercial that’s full of beautiful visuals. Being on the boat during the live action shoot meant I was able to work with the producers to troubleshoot there and then in order to make sure the vision was realised as we planned the creation of the film’s really unique sequences."

Representing a link between the real world and a dreamlike one, the subject floats through a world that looks like something between smoke and water. Framestore needed to create a colourful environment that the actor was integrated into having been shot on cables against a bluescreen.

A standout scene sees the main character shrink down to a tenth of her original size and run across a dinner table. Live action plates of both the subject and the table were shot, the latter of which required a three-inch 3D printed stand-in for the actor. When shooting the miniature, key measurements including the focal length and the camera distance were recorded and then transposed proportionally in order to shoot the actor in a studio.

To complement the film’s visuals, Framestore’s head of grading Steffan Perry created a dramatic colour grade for the film, bringing the different scenes and sequences into a single cohesive commercial which is bold and rich in colour. 

Added Costa: "Our role on this project wasn’t to take over with a VFX-heavy approach but to lend our skills to the project to make every element look as realistic as possible - even if they are fantastical."