BBC Horizon – Oceans of the Solar System

Rushes were approached by long-time collaborator and friend David Stewart to create some stunning and original graphics for a new Horizon documentary that explores the existence of oceans, and therefore the possibility of life on other planets and moons in our solar system.

Asked to come up with a strong visual signature which would be used throughout the show, Rushes drew influence from old Victorian style astronomy and science books to create beautiful CG sequences that take us on a journey through the solar system, as if through the pages of a book.

Rushes were also tasked with creating two VFX shots of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede with its aurora borealis, and Saturn’s moon Enceladus with its explosive cryogeysers. Plates of real geysers were shot in Chile then composited along with digital matte paintings, mapped onto 3D geometry to give the impression of a dynamic and corporeal Enceladus landscape.

In a third sequence MGFX Studio created a holographic 3D membrane structure – Azotosome. The nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen compound was built and animated in Cinema 4D based on visuals from Cornell University.

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