ROYAL MAIL

Coffee&TV were commissioned by M&C Saatchi to bring the iconic Game of Thrones ravens to life, for a campaign to launch Royal Mail’s special stamp series commemorating the hit HBO show.

The creative idea for the online commercials required a photoreal flock of flying CG ravens delivering letters bearing the new Game of Thrones stamps. Over a four week period, Coffee&TV’s CGI department meticulously sculpted, rigged and animated the birds’ bodies, wings, beaks and eyes before adding the skin and feathers. New surface controls were developed by the team to give the realistic illusion of wind rushing over the bird. Every raven was required to move differently, so each one was individually hand animated to create a perfect unkindness (plural noun for ravens!).

The final shot which depicts the ravens moving out of a Westeros setting towards a snowy British town, was composited by Coffee&TV’s talented Flame department.

Zbrush was used by the team to sculpt the birds, while rigging and animation were completed in Softimage 3D. The project was lit and rendered in Arnold.