TransPennine Express

TransPennine Express, Where Next?

This 60-second commercial sees TransPennine Express' renewed mission to connect the North to make it greater than it's ever been. TransPennine Express is a vibrant and modern rail operator for the north of England and Scotland.

The 'Where Next?' campaign has been a huge undertaking and Big Buoy have pulled together all resources including researchers, Grading, Flame, 3D, and After Effects Artists to create the final product you now see before you.

Big Buoy began working on TransPennine Express ten weeks before final delivery. Initial meetings took place between Jim Allen (Senior Flame Artist), WCRS (Agency), and Anthony Dickenson (Director) to establish how to bring the idea to life.

Previs started immediately after using storyboards and rough V/O to work out timings and content. Big Buoy’s 3D team created early stage castle models to help get an idea of the pace needed.

While this was happening in our VFX department a photographer was sent off around the Uk to get shots of castles, buildings and other textures we would need in the final renders.

TransPennine was shot using two different methods. The first was by mounting a camera on the back of a train and filming the track and scenery as the train traversed the UK. The second was the hyperlapse technique which needed a lot of stabilisation in post and our 3D team later deformed the footage to make it more 3D.

The footage which was shot from the back of a train was reversed and Flame Artists added in new skies, removed the second train track and centred the remaining one. There was also a lot of clean up involved to remove all the electric cables you would normally see running above a train track.

Big Buoy’s 3D team developed the trains, bridges, buildings, hot air balloons and other elements from the Photographer’s shots. By mapping the textures and images they created polymodels which were then given extra textural elements to give them even more depth.

All the places you see in the advert are real landmarks, towns, and cities that the TransPennine Express journeys through.

You can watch the full ad below.

Agency: WCRS
Creative Directors: Steve Hawthorne / Katy Hopkins
Producer: Louise Bonnar

Production Company: All Mighty Pictures
Producer: Mark Harbour
Director: Anthony Dickenson

Post Production: Big Buoy
Producer: Barny Wright
VFX & 3D: Team led by Jim Allen