SYNOPSIS
Real-time thriller about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London, and a government agency’s frantic efforts to intervene in the rapidly-escalating events onboard. Can two people who’ve never met, one on the train and one not, work together to save the lives of its disparate group of passengers as the Heart of Britain overnight service hurtles towards what might quite literally be its final destination?
HOW WE ACHIEVED IT
Nightsleeper is one of the largest and most ambitious CG productions we've ever tackled at TFCC. From the very start, our collaboration with Euston Films during pre-production was instrumental in bringing the Heart of Britain train to life. Our Creative Director, Dom, and Head of VFX, Fabio, were deeply involved in every stage of the creative process, shaping the fully CG train and the immersive environment around it.
Our amazing 3D and 2D teams worked hard to to ensure that the Heart of Britain train looked as realistic as possible, blending seamlessly into the world of Nightsleeper. From complex elements like explosions and window smashes to the small details like signage and gantries, our teams did it all. We even created CG rail tracks, disability ramps, helicopters, oil tanks with oil spills, and trains in varying states of damage—all key components in the dramatic action sequences.
Beyond the train, we were responsible for all screen comps, including the interactive train maps, CCTVs, and extensive set extensions. We recreated parts of Victoria Station from blue screen shots, transforming daylight scenes into moody nighttime shots. One tricky part was creating glitching boards in Victoria station as we created our own GFX and also integrated it into Abby’s video call.
We also created a digital matte painting of London as the train approached Battersea station, adding to the sense of scale and realism. One of the toughest sequences was Geoghan’s death scene, which required a mix of blue screen work and CG integration with our train.
This project was a huge team effort, and we’re really proud of the results. We hope you enjoy watching Nightsleeper as much as we enjoyed creating it!
