The St Trinians girls are back, and Rushes, in collaboration with Matt Curtis of Abraham pants, have come up with the goods in the graphics department yet again, throwing their hats further into the fray with not only opening titles but also providing light-hearted graphical transitions, and visual narratives throughout the film to keep up the pace of the latest installment of the franchise. Using the first film as a reference, Matt Curtis approached Rushes’ MGFX producer Warwick Hewett with an idea that would require the whole of the MGFX department at full throttle for the whole month. “Matt always brings us good stuff to work on, He seems to be on the same creative wavelength as our Head Designer Matt Lawrence, which has proved to be a fruitful partnership in the past across various projects, this one being no exception”. Rushes was asked to create several elements: An opening title sequence, a main title sting, 4 shot transitions, 5 still graphics and a lengthy, 4 part sequence playing on the Google earth application all referencing the plot line of buried treasure, whilst trying to incorporate a little of the St. T’s girl’s anarchy. The idea gradually developed, and became a coherent and evolving set of graphics which sits in neatly throughout the film; starting with the opening titles and moving through to the final shot transitions. “Matt’s brief focused on map and map elements being revealed either through ink splats or using ink as some sort of graphical device. As we started to play around with ideas though, it became clear that to get a truly inky feel we would have to shoot real ink splats … I’m glad we did, the transitions, wipes and little inky touches really sell the piece, much more so than trying to fake it with mattes or fades.” Matt Lawrence (Lead MGFX Designer) “Using the shot textures, as well as real map elements really allowed us to go to town on the opening sequence, layering ink footage and map sections with supplied graphics and generated content creating a truly immersive sequence, the idea being to really draw the viewer into the scene, get them involved immediately, make them feel part of the story as soon as it started” To make sure the work was completed on time and to the high standards Rushes, Matt Curtis and the MGFX team are known for, workflow management was very important. “We split the work up as best we could to ease the bottleneck. While Matt was animating sections, I would be texturing the elements for him to drop in later, then, as they became more fully developed I would move onto a different animation and set that up while Barry Corcoran, our MGFX freelancer started on yet another. Spreading the workload was advantageous to everyone, from the client down, as each section was able to move forward almost simultaneously whilst easing the pressure on any one individual as nothing lay squarely on any one person’s or more importantly one machine’s shoulders” says Brad Le Riche (MGFX Designer). The end result is yet another successful partnership with Matt Curtis and another film title sequence under Rushes’ belt, with the MGFX boys really starting to carve an MGFX shaped notch in the grain of the title sequence market. Title: "St. Trinian's - The Legend of Fritton's Gold" Product: Feature Film Titles & Motion Graphics Agency: Abraham Pants Director: Barnaby Thompson & Oliver Parker Producer: Christian Colson Production Company: Celador Films Designer: Matt Curtis Post Facility: Rushes Rushes Producer: Louise Hussey Rushes Assistant Producer: Warwick Hewett After Effects: Matt Lawrence (Lead), Brad Le Riche, Barry Corcoran Cinema 4D: Matt Lawrence Photoshop: Matt Lawrence, Brad Le Riche

A very simple setup for this shot. A 16x32 plate with 12 Stormtroopers staggered across it, sat on a piece of white bristol board and side-lit by the front window. I had contemplated using the Joker's white face for this image, but ultimately decided that I didn't want the image to be a franchise crossover. The skeleton warrior face is really rather ambiguous, and having him in the lineup opens up a lot of questions: Who he is? Why is he there? What does he intend to do? I have to be honest and say that while I like the final pic, I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't put a bit more effort into the flooring. Thankfully, it's not something that is readily noticeable to the eye. :D