European Co-Production for Penny

Animation, Miniature Sets, Model Making, Motion Control, Stop-Motion Animation, Visual Effects

In September and October this year, we were commissioned by VFX house Glassworks, Amsterdam to shoot miniature sets for the Christmas campaign for German store, Penny Market. The models were designed and built by Andy Farago of Clockwork Frog Films in Manchester involving multiple interior and exterior sets. The shoot was facilitated in our Birmingham studio and was turned around in record time within two weeks, filming with Second Home’s very own Manta Motion Control system. Multiple passes were shot on each set involving key lighting references for Glassworks’ animators to then insert the CG characters of Emil and his mother. The film, which is part of a wider campaign to help tackle poverty in Germany, will soon be available to view globally. In the meantime, here are some teaser stills of some of the key scenes.

The street featuring the house where Emil and his mother live.

Mum making Emil’s Halloween costume.

Halloween.

The frozen lake scene.

Watching the ice-skaters.

Christmas Eve.

Emil and the tree.

What’s in the shed?

Entering the Arctic…

The film was directed by Rudiger Kaltenhauser and Darren Macpherson of Glassworks, Amsterdam and the Director of Photography was Sam Morris.