Rogue Heroes | Case Study
Explosions
Set Extensions
Crowds
Environments
Water
The true story of three British Lieutenants who have an idea to create a special forces unit that will operate behind enemy lines during the height of World War 2.
Series 2 of this acclaimed series follows their operations in mainland Europe and fight to prove their unit remains essential to the war effort.
Season 2 of "Rogue Heroes" is available now on BBC One and MGM+
Scope
Ingenuity Studios delivered 629 shots across 6 episodes for season two of this series.
The work ultimately included explosions, air, land, and sea battles, set extensions, and endless historical details such as battleships, airplanes, towns, and weaponry.
Technology used:
Nuke, Houdini, RenderMan, Substance Painter, Maya, VAST Storage
Historial Accuracy
The show takes place during World War 2, so historical accuracy was extremely important to us, as well as our clients. We created period accurate environments with battle fields, bombed out buildings and towns as well as elements like vehicles, trucks, ships, and planes. Everything down to the correct muzzle flashes on weaponry was carefully studied, with hundreds of photos and videos used as references.
The Ulster Monarch
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To replicate the original World War 2 ship known as The Ulster Monarch, seen in episode 1, a ferry approximately the same size was hired on location. A drone recorded footage of the ship at sea, capturing details like water displacement and continuous motion so we could replicate it in post. The ferry was replaced with our high-res model and digital matte paintings (DMP) in the final shot.
Field Guns
The field guns were designed to look and operate as they would have in the 40s.
Once modelled, our rigging team matched the recoil and movement of the original guns as they fired. We the flash and explosion from firing, as well as the pressure wave rippling through the grass.
Dakota Planes - "A Bridge Too Far"
This sequence paid homage to the famous scene from “A Bridge Too Far”. Highly detailed models of “Dakota” planes were built to match the real thing, with calculated animations emulating their proper weight and balance. They fly through clouds (simulated by our FX team) against a digital matte painting of the night sky.
Dakota Planes - "A Bridge Too Far"
This sequence paid homage to the famous scene from “A Bridge Too Far”. Highly detailed models of “Dakota” planes were built to match the real thing, with calculated animations emulating their proper weight and balance. They fly through clouds (simulated by our FX team) against a digital matte painting of the night sky.
Tracer Fire
Many World War 2 machine guns had an illuminated bullet that fired after every few rounds known as "rtacer fire". This allowed soldiers to see their trajectory when battling at night. To replicate this exact effect, a 2D particle tool created the speed, characteristic wriggle, and glow as the bullet fired.
Tracer fire is seen throughout the season with the speed of fire appropriately to the machine being used.
Stuka Planes
On set, a drone was used for the camera movement and timing for this sequence, with practical squibs creating small explosions for the bullet hits.
In post, 2 German “Stuka” fighter planes were modelled in CG to follow the camera work as they fly through the town square. Our animators gave the planes weight and speed, while lighting and FX created smoke and tracer fire timed to the hits.
Glider Crash
A drone team captured ocean shots for us to reference for camera movement and lighting in this sequence. The final shot is full CG, complete with water simulations, sky replacement, and our airplane gliders “tracer fire” — one of which clips a wing and cartwheels into the sea before breaking apart.
Landing Craft
This shot was originally done at the famous Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in a 75’ square foot water tank. To accommodate changes in the lighting and camera movement of the original, the shot evolved to become completely CG. Matte paintings of the sky and cliffs, as well as the three CG models of the rescue boats, completed the look.
Bridge Detonation
The CG model of this bridge was recreated from a simple shot over the railway track. The model and surrounding foliage had to be photoreal and match the practical bridge and still work with the FX needed in post. The bricks, plants, and explosions each had their own separate movement simulation and work together to burst out and up in the final composited shot.
On-Set Supervision
By having Ingenuity Studios handle overall visual effects supervision, we remained involved in the process from the early stages of script development and shoot planning, to on-set presence for the actual filming, and then on to post-production through final delivery. The autonomy was a huge advantage, allowing us to control exactly how shots were designed and to play to our strengths as a studio. For "Rogue Heroes" the success of this strategy can be seen through VFX the whole of the season.
During pre-production, the Ingenuity team conducted great research; offered thorough examination and discussion of different strategies, techniques, and budgets; and established a realistic understanding and agreement of what we could all achieve.
Throughout the post-production process, weekly VFX reviews with Ingenuity were a joy. They were dynamic, fun, creative, and kept the show on schedule through great detail and organization. Changes and tweaks were handled quickly and with understanding. Research paid off and it felt like sequences were evolving, growing, and punching high above their budget.”
-Director Stephen Woolfenden
Credits
David Sewell, VFX Supervisor
Patrick Dean, Executive Producer
Mary Margaret Cimino, VFX Producer
Grant Miller, VFX Supervisor
Eoin O Sullivan, Assistant VFX Supervisor
Rich Fry, CG Supervisor
Darryl White, Animation Supervisor
Alaric Holberton, FX Lead
Tom Marcus Walker, Production Coordinator