The short was filmed using only virtual production

Fireworks film DNEG Wilder Films screenshot

Wilder Films has released the trailer for Fireworks, one of the first films made using real time virtual production technology within an LED volume.

The short was created in collaboration with virtual entertainment company Dimension for its real-time scene creation and LED stage expertise and VFX house DNEG for its virtual production resources and real-time workflows, with support from Epic MegaGrants and Lipsync.

Two-time Oscar and BAFTA Award winner Paul Franklin (Interstellar, Inception) directs, with BAFTA Award winner Annalise Davis (The Railway Man, Up There) producing for Wilder Films. It was written by acclaimed screenwriter and playwright Steven Lally, and is set for release in January 2022. 

Fireworks stars Charlotte Riley (Press, Wuthering Heights), Denise Gough (Andor, Too Close) and Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans, Black Mirror), and features production design by Designer’s Guild-nominated Jamie Lapsley (Bodyguard, Tommy’s Honour, Kill Command) and cinematography by Ollie Downey, BSC (Temple, Hanna, Britannia).

The story follows tense final moments of an MI6 operation to take out a dangerous target who has been tracked down to a Tripoli marketplace, and virtual production is used to show both scenes in the same frame to reveal the innocent people in the marketplace who may become collateral damage as a result of the decisions made in the room.

A series of 5x5 minute behind-the-scenes films will be released through the StoryFutures Academy will be released weekly to accompany the release of Fireworks, featuring explanations of key parts of the virtual production process and interviews with the key film crew and virtual production team, as well as an access-all-areas view of the techniques, challenges, and benefits of virtual production. 

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.”

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