The Mill Finishes Virgin Atlantic Commercial

The Mill has just finished the latest Virgin Atlantic commercial promoting Virgin Atlantic’s new spacious Premium Economy service.
Directed by Brett Foraker the ad was produced by Annabel Ridley at RSA for Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.
The message throughout the campaign emphasises ‘a lot more space for a little more money’ and therefore the challenge was to get across to the viewer that the amount of leg room available has increased and that they have upgraded to larger, comfier seats.
This was cleverly accomplished by creatively comparing the cinema experience to being on a new improved Premium Economy seat on Virgin Atlantic. The commercial shows a man initially squeezed between two rather annoying passengers on an economy flight, which then transforms into a large comfortable cinema seat in a darkly lit cinema screening room. The man’s environment then revolves and converts seamlessly into the new ‘cinema comfort’ Virgin Atlantic chairs with the cinema background quickly transforming into the background of a passenger plane.
Lead Flame artist at The Mill, Giles Cheetham was the talent behind the clever effects. The movement of the elements was based on the elegance of a performance of Swan Lake ballet with its beautifully staged choreography. As the scene shifted from the cinema scene to the plane set, Giles composed and smoothed out transitions therefore instilling a feeling of calm and peace of mind for the passengers. The majority of the compositing work was concentrated on the moving chairs. The spotlights and timings were all achieved in Flame. The walls moving in and out coordinated with the over-head compartments slotting in were also all synchronized in Flame. The revolving cinema set was literally hand made and the seats were placed on runners with pulleys to assist their smooth movement.
The most significant effect that Giles worked on was the material on the chair being suctioned in to the chair in exchange for the new Virgin Atlantic fabric. The chair seems to take on a life of its own as it absorbs the material. The effect was flawlessly achieved in Flame.
(DS)