Tom Felton VR Guy Fawkes

Tom Felton as Guy Fawkes, captured volumetrically on a 25 camera gen-locked array, now performing live inside VR at the Tower of London.

What Did We Do?

For The Gunpowder Plot, the immersive experience in the Tower Vaults at the Tower of London, we worked with Figment Productions to capture Tom Felton’s performance as Guy Fawkes on our 25 camera gen-locked array.

We shot two kinds of material: full volumetric sequences of Tom’s performance, and direct to camera audience point of view takes, so the VR environment team had options in post. Tom’s scenes drive the narrative through the whole experience, so both had to hold up.

The VR team’s challenge was balancing user experience, quality and the hardware limits of the attraction. Ours was a tight shoot window and the sheer weight of data wrangling that volumetric capture demands on a schedule. Inside the finished attraction, Tom’s image and movements are rendered live in the virtual world, and audiences interact with Guy Fawkes as they join the conspiracy.

The experience runs in a purpose designed immersive theatre space beneath Tower Hill, where much of the real plot’s story played out. Details at gunpowderimmersive.com.

Common Volumetric FAQs

What is the difference between volumetric and bullet time?

Bullet time is a camera move through a frozen moment. Volumetric capture reconstructs the performer in 3D so they can be placed inside a virtual world and viewed from anywhere, which is what a VR experience needs.

Can one rig capture both?

Yes. The same gen-locked array records the synchronised video that both techniques are built from.

More From The Set

More from the build and the shoot. Click any image for a closer look.