Rushes Create VFX Shots For 'Exodus'

Written and directed by Penny Woolcock as part of a larger project that involved a day of live events and the burning 'Waste Man' by Antony Gormley 'Exodus' is a contemporary re-telling of the Book of Exodus, the story of Moses and his search for the Promised Land.
A story about identity and migration. Exodus is set in the Dreamland Funfair in Margate.
In order to create the 15 VFX shots, which included parting the English Channel and a ‘shower of fire, it was decided by Rushes VFX supervisors Hayden Jones and Jonathan Privett to make use of as many live action elements as possible.
Jones said: "For the sea parting shots we decided on shooting a weir that could then be used as a major textural component in our 3D model of the parted seascape. Alongside this we shot bluescreen elements of Moses outside to give us a more realistic feel. The shower of fire was also completed using elements of burning magnesium strips shot in a shed at the Margate location mixed with CG particle animation and live action fire."
Having first made an animatic of the sea parting to ascertain the flow of the sequence for director Penny Woolcock, Rushes artists Lee Tibbetts and Gavin Digby set about fine tuning the 3D and compositing to create the final surrealistic effect. Lee also rendered a CG Moses for a sequence in which he jumps from a high-rise window and ‘flies’ down to land in the midst of a battle-taking place on the Margate beach. Jonathan Privett, Rushes Head of 3D, commented: “We love working with Penny as her ideas are always very fresh and innovative. Margate Exodus is no exception; we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of bringing such complicated VFX to screen in a novel and financially expedient way."
Exodus had its world premiere at the 64th Venice Film Festival and will have it’s UK premier at The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival on Friday 19 October and will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday 19 November at 9pm.
Exodus is commissioned and produced by Artangel in association with Creative Partnerships Kent/Arts Council England and Channel 4 Television.
(DS)