D-Day 75: A Tribute to Heroes

D-Day 75 was a commemorative event, marking the 75th-anniversary landings on the Normandy beaches. The event took place on June 5th on Southsea common in Portsmouth and told the story of the significant events proceeding the largest amphibious assault in history, leading to the end of World War II and the liberation of Europe.

We were approached by the BBC Studios Events, with only six weeks to go. Our brief was to design, animate, and deliver 44 sequences, which needed to work simultaneously across the enormous panoramic and arch screens — a canvas measuring 65.3m x 17.7m, 1 hour, and 25 minutes of visual storytelling.

The event consisted of readings, live theatre, musical performance, and dance. One main challenge was to give each of the sequences its own visual identity, avoiding the appearance of one long edit of archive footage.

One of the most complex, compelling, and essential sequences that needed addressing with care and authenticity was the epic creation of advancing ships and planes accompanying Eisenhower’s famous speech.

For the other sequences, we had a wealth of historic archive imagery and graphic assets – French Resistance posters, newspaper headlines, letters, telegrams, and bespoke maps all helped tell these incredibly emotional stories in an impactful, aesthetically beautiful way.

As well as being broadcast live on BBC One, watched by an audience of 2 million, the main success came from the unprecedented global reach and impact in the print-media, on-line, and news outlets.

It was a total honor to play a small part in paying tribute to these humble and courageous people who made our world a safer and better place; this was truly their event.