1920 provided the vfx and grade for stunning Xbox film, Wake Up, providing an entire rat city whose inhabitants only become human when they get a chance to start gaming.
“To take on projects like this, our processes needed to be structured to deal with huge amounts of data and be able to build, animate and render them in an iterative way. Houdini, Solaris and Karma XPU allowed us to use usd to author, instance and layer the models, animation and groom.
Bringing the inhabitants of Rat City to life demanded a meticulous fusion of high-end creature VFX techniques and nuanced character animation. The creative challenge lay in crafting performances that felt emotionally resonant while remaining grounded in authentic rodent anatomy and behaviour.
At the heart of this process was a custom-built rig engineered to accommodate an extensive range of facial expressions—essential for driving the story. While the character designs honoured the anatomical accuracy of real rats, subtle refinements were introduced to ensure each individual felt distinct. Adjustments like elongated snouts, slightly oversized eyebrows, and smaller, beadier eyes struck the perfect balance between realism and personality. Every detail was purposefully executed to avoid slipping into overt cartoon stylization, preserving a fine line between human-like emotion and biological authenticity.
The compositing process for the CG rat heads in Xbox Rat City revolved around a series of carefully orchestrated steps, each designed to ensure seamless integration between live-action footage and CG elements. The first major task was the removal of the in-camera practical heads that were to be replaced with digital counterparts. Multiple clean plates were captured during the shoot. However, with no motion control available on set, clean plate integration presented unique challenges.
Many of these clean plates required meticulous reconstruction. The team began by camera tracking each shot, ensuring precise match-movement. Clean plates were then projected onto cards or custom-built geometry, allowing them to be slotted back into the scenes. This manual approach ensured the live-action environment remained intact even as the rat heads were removed.
Beyond character integration, the compositing team handled a range of environment enhancements. The expansive establishing street scene, the climactic cityscape, and various window exteriors peppered throughout the film. Additional tasks involved screen replacements, insertion of door numbers, office signage, and other minor—but vital—details that, if overlooked, would have created visual gaps in the narrative. “
CREDITS
Brand: Xbox
Title: Wake Up
Agency: Droga 5
ESC: Tres Colacion + Giancarlo Rodas
CD: Joseph Russomano + Temnete Sebhatu
Producer: Connor Hagan
Production Company: RESET
Director: Romain Chassaing / Co Dir. David Fincher
Director of Photography: Jeff Cronenweth
Executive Producer: Jen Beitler
Producer : Ash Lockmun
Production Manager: Ivanina Burneva
Editing Company: Cut & Run
Editor: Paul Watts
Post Production: 1920
Colourist: Kai Van Beers
Creative Director: Ludo Fealy
VFX Supervisors: Ryan Hadfield, Chris King, Jorge Montiel Meurer, Chris Gill
VFX Artists: Adam Gramlick, Ahmed Ugas, Alejandro Marzo, Alex Rumsey, Andrea Umberto Origlia, Andreas Georgiou, David Rencsenyi, Eva Bennet, Joe Baker, Juan Francisco Saravi Migliore, Klaudia Skalska, Lewys Rhodes, Lucas Warren, Mattias Lullini, Miles Tomalin, Monika Lesiecka, Robert Lilley, Ross Gilbert, Sergio García Castro, Taylor Webber, Tom Cowlishaw, Ben Thomas, Ben Revens, Will Davis
VFX Producer: Ross Culligan
VFX Co-Ordinator: Lena Almeida
DMP Artist: Jordan Haynes / Carlos Neito / Grant Bonser
Sound: WAVE Studios
Sound Designer: Aaron Reynolds
Jon Creamer
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