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People
Created by Sally Wainwright
Directors: Amanda Brotchie, M.J. Delaney, Ben Taylor
Producer: Stella Merz
Client
Disney
Type of Production
television
+44 (0)7968 613040 or +44 (0)7968 613030 info@elementsfx.co.uk
Renegade Nell
Like many period dramas, fireplaces, atmospheric effects, and wet downs were essential in capturing the mood of an 18th-century English city and countryside. Our floor crew worked with passion, constantly monitoring the sets to maintain the right levels and provide those subtle, often overlooked background touches. These understated effects enrich every shot and really are at the heart of special effects in this genre. Back in our workshop, the pace shifted into overdrive. Our team of dedicated engineers and model makers created an extraordinary portfolio of rigs and props for Renegade Nell—from ornate breakaway tables and chair sets, to a fully realized manor house room with 16-foot walls designed to collapse as a magical horse bursts through.
One of the most spectacular builds was a seven-metre-long tunnel, replicating the passages beneath Dover Castle, which we had previously filmed on location. Designed to rock and sway beneath the actors’ feet, it heightened the tension of each scene, while hidden effects unleashed showers of dust from the ceiling and thick black goo sliding ominously down the walls. Combined, these elements transformed the tunnel into a living, breathing set piece—equal parts claustrophobic and theatrical.
We built multiple wobble rigs to help sell the horse drawn carriages; we even brought an enchanted forest to life with trees that moved entirely on their ‘own’. The brief was ambitious, but our team embraced it with such imagination and craft that production, but most importantly the audience, was left astonished by the visuals.
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