The Soho-based VFX studio BlueBolt was sole visual effects vendor for the new Sky original production, COBRA.
BlueBolt, Soho based VFX studio are delighted to announce that they have created a dramatic body work for new Sky original production, COBRA, through New Pictures, currently streaming on Sky One and Now TV.
Starring Robert Carlyle and Victoria Hamilton, COBRA is a high stakes six-part British drama set in the heart of government during a major crisis and BlueBolt provided all 350 VFX shots over the entire series.
The BlueBolt team, led by VFX Supervisor Henry Badgett and VFX Producer Tracy McCreary, created a wide range of VFX including a fully CG motorway environment and complex CG plane crash, motorway set extensions, riots, fires and London Blackout effect and the effect of an overpass failing under the weight of a transformer, rebuilding the road surfaces in 3D and simulating the massive destruction.
Images courtesy of BlueBolt.
Henry Badgett was on set and on location in and around Manchester throughout production and explained how the plane crash sequences evolved during the process.
“The plane crash was originally conceived based on the ability to shoot drone plates. When it turned out that this wasn’t going to be possible we were forced to build the entire environment. Although this was a big change of course and a lot more work, it ended up giving us way more freedom and control of the shots. We simulated the entire plane crash and then positioned virtual cameras to capture the action, rather than animating shot by shot. This allowed us a much faster turnaround time for the shots, the clients favoured this approach as it was more based in real-world physics.”
Henry Badgett, VFX Supervisor
“It was a privilege to work with Joe Donaldson, the show’s Producer along with The New Pictures team, Christine Healey and Charlie Pattinson. We first worked with them HBO’s Catherine the Great so we were thrilled to be awarded Cobra soon after”.
Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, BlueBolt CEO
The full series of COBRA is currently streaming on Sky One and Now TV.
