Merry Xmas from SquareZero

click picture to play movie.

Holographic ballerina wins MAMA award

Musion's MAMA awards were held at the University of Westminster last Saturday and SquareZero won the prize for best corporate event. The holographic dancer was filmed for the Yota Launch of Mikhailovsky's Swan Lake in London earlier this year.  The visual effects included having the dancer turn into a glass swan and then into a flurry of butterflies. The prima ballerina in her white costume made a very effective subject for the Pepper's Ghost technique of stage illusion. View the movie here.

SquareZero pick up two awards at IVCA Livecom

We had a nice day out at the awards ceremony where we picked up Highly Commended awards for both of our entries.
The Paul Arden hologram ' Nothing is impossible'  for Saatchi and Saatchi was prized in the Award for Innovation category.
Our holographic attraction for Abbaworld won in the International Event Experience category.

3d animated flight for the Royal Bank of Scotland

We were commissioned to make an animation which spanned continents for the RBS website. Scott Cooper worked in Maya to create the journey of a blue ribbon through cities of the world which highlighted features of the business. You can see the movie here.

Greatest Hits TV ad for Bon Jovi

Najma Bhatti, a lead director at LOVE Commercials and award-winning production company, Square Zero, has directed an innovative TV commercial for the release of Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits album. The ad is produced by LOVE Commercials and the post production, animation work and CGI was done by the team at Square Zero. The commercial celebrates the band’s momentous career and draws on its broad fanbase and universal appeal. See the spot here.

Filmed in New York, the TVC features Bon Jovi performing in a series of different rooms, executed by shooting the band against a green screen, allowing them to be composited into the different scenes, each laden with detail to represent the diversity of the band’s catalogue. Pausing in each room to sing a different track, when Jon Bon Jovi enters the final room, the walls suddenly rise up becoming relay screens and the whole space transforms into a fan-filled stadium. This final scene was shot using a combination of green screen and a 3D stage setup placed in existing crowd footage that was multiplied and layered to create a sense of scale.

In order to be able to produce shorter international versions, Jon Bon Jovi’s walk was timed and synchronised to generate a modular piece, allowing footage from each room to be joined together in different orders. Square Zero then handled the CGI-heavy commercial’s animation and post-production process.

Najma Bhatti, Director, Square Zero, says “We wanted the concept to reflect the band’s legendary career and huge fanbase – symbolised by the journey through the rooms and culminating in a huge event to echo the Greatest Hits. Working closely with LOVE Commercials, who coordinated the shoot, we used cutting edge CGI to produce the stadium scene finale. Creating a genuine flexible collection of completed footage was also key during the post production process, so it could be arranged and reordered as required. We were delighted to be invited to work on this project, using our technical expertise to stamp a mark in rock history. ”

The Bon Jovi – Greatest Hits TVC was directed by Najma Bhatti, an award-winning director at SquareZero whose previous projects at the company include the acclaimed ‘Nothing is Impossible’ hologram for the 20th Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase at Cannes Lions 2010.

See the spot here.

Holograms in Nigeria - Mobitel and Afromedia

SquareZero produced animations and composites for two concurrent Musion hologram celebrations in Nigeria last month. Prominent Nigerian companies Afromedia and Mobitel were celebrating events with holographic presentations in a year which sees Nigeria's Fiftieth anniversary of independence. Afromedia is the largest provider of billboard advertising and was also celebrating it's 50th anniversary. Mobitel is one of the country's principal mobile phone and telecoms companies and they were celebrating rebranding of the business.

Recruiting at SquareZero

We are recruiting for various roles now and into the new year. We are interested in meeting potential employees or freelancers and request that if you are interested in working here that you send us CV's and links to your work. We are interested in receiving details from experienced producers, designers, animators, technical directors, compositors as well as graduates. There are more details on vacancies and how to join our team here.

The Dustbunnies

Sarah, Vicky and Alexi are recently back from the Cartoon Forum in Hungary where they have been promoting our animated series concept.


The Dust Bunnies are a group of cute little bunnies that live under the sofa in a nice old granny's house. They are made of fluff that collects on the carpet from her knitting. They are always having fun and adventures with things they find under the sofa, like crayons or beads that Granny and her untidy grandchildren leave behind. 


This is a proposal for a children's pre-school series which SquareZero is developing.Full information with designs and the Dustbunnies proposal bible can be seen on our Dustbunnies microsite.

click on picture to view movie.

Animated sheep commercial for Sominex

Sominex is a night time sleep aid and the commercial airs this week. The spot features a group of bored redundant sheep who no longer need to be counted because Sominex is doing their job more effectively. SquareZero were asked by production company Toast to create the sheep and place them into the various night time live action settings. Sarah Klan did all design and animation on the project with some added assistance from Jon Ossitt with the 3d packshot and in the compositing stages. The project was conceived by Nolan Willis of agency Sudler London for the client Actavis. Click here to view the commercial

Flomax Commercial Wins IPA Best of Health Award

SquareZero are proud to announce that the ubiquitous P Man has won an IPA Best of Health award in the 'consumer, film' category. The commercial was directed by Stuart Fryer and created by leading healthcare agency TBWA\Paling Walters. The live action sequences were filmed on location in the UK and South Africa, with 3D character animation and compositing by Square Zero. Congratulations to everyone who was a part of this successful product launch.

The production company on this project was Toast.

More about the Pman commercial here.

SquareZero makes hologram of Paul Arden for Saatchi & Saatchi

We are proud to announce that we've used our expertise in a live hologram production for Saatchi & Saatchi’s Nothing is Impossible New Directors’ Showcase 2010, celebrating the event’s 20th year at Cannes Lions Festival.

Square Zero created live holograms to present proceedings at the event – which has become one of the most popular events during the Cannes Lions Festival. Re-created in holographic form were Richard Myers, who is Saatchi & Saatchi’s Creative Director for Global Culture, and the late Paul Arden, former Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi London, who introduced the first ever New Directors’ Showcase back in 1991. Despite sadly passing away in 2008, Square Zero has now enabled him to present again two years later.

Square Zero used cutting-edge technology and Musion® Systems projection to create the holograms for the showcase. The project’s director was Najma Bhatti, an award-winning director at SquareZero whose previous projects at the company include the holographic CGI recreation of Abba for the Abba World Exhibition. She is director and art director at Square Zero, leading the team on animation projects, stereoscopic 3D and auto stereoscopic, holographic content, music videos and commercials.

Vicky Godfrey, also SquareZero company director, was the producer on the Nothing is Impossible hologram, bringing her extensive experience in the field to the project, having also produced the Frank Sinatra hologram for Simon Cowell’s 50th birthday celebrations.

Animation and visual effects artist was SquareZero’s Jonson Jewell.


Square Zero specializes in 3D production, live holograms, live action and animation music promos, and virtual reality technology. Credits include the Frank Sinatra Hologram for Simon Cowell’s 50th birthday party and 3D stereoscopic content for well known brands including Burberry for London Fashion Week show and a Vauxhall Astra interactive commercial for TRO. Square Zero has also recently won a Gold IVCA Award in the External Interactive Media category, for their groundbreaking work on the launch of the new Vauxhall Astra – a 360 degree Virtual Reality Experience and interactive viral campaign.

Pepsi screen animations for Delhi airport

Sarah at SquareZero completed some bold and  bright animation promoting Pepsi for digital signage Installed at Terminal D, New Delhi.

The project was commisioned by Indian outdoor advertising specialists Seven Degrees Advertising Solutions.

Vicky interviewed in Raedar media news bulletin

Vicky Godfrey is Partner and Company Director at SquareZero,
who specialize in 3D production, live holograms, animation and virtual reality technology; they have recently won a Gold IVCA award for their interactive and virtual reality work for Astra. Raedar asked Vicky what lessons she has learned from the twists and turns of her career to date.

read the full article
Raedar homepage

Flomax Commercial

We have just completed the Flomax Pman commercial - a TV, online and print campaign for the TBWA / Paling Walters advertising agency. This was a live action / CGI animated character advert. We were commissioned by soho production company Toast.

The advert was targetting men aged over 45 that have bladder problems.  Flomax was formally a presciption only drug that has now become and over the counter medication.


see the movie here.

The P-man concept was created by the agency to have this annoying P-man character going 'Pee pee' all the time, irritating men who are stuck somewhere in which they are unable make it to the toilet. So for instance the opening scene is a man on a golf course, and the Pman starts jumping around on the golf course irritating him as he is trying to play golf.

We had to create the character P-MAN (which  the TBWA art director had drawn up) and add a new dimension to him, bringing him to life and adding personality to him. Sarah Klan at SquareZero refined the basic character design - which everybody loved and P-man was born. 

The campaign launched on the 31st March - right in the middle of the UEFA Barcelona - Arsenal game - the print was in the daily mail and telegraph all easter weekend as well as featuring in pharmaceutical industry magazines. The campaign should run for up to 3 - 6 months. We also did all the animation on the Pman banners, as well as putting P-man into all the same scenario's for the print campaign at very high resolution.

Olly Tyler - Head of Animation - was the CGI supervisor on the shoot, and the CGI specialist throughout the whole project.

Sarah Klan as well as designing the initial character (Taking it on from the agency designs)  she made 3 x P-man models for the project, so the actors always had a real PMan to focus and interact with.

Jeremy Dunn from Toast - Produced the Commercial and Stuart Fryer directed the commercial.

Jon Ossitt from SquareZero Ltd  was the 3d Animator and compositor who brought P-man to life, with support from modeler Chris Maslen.

View the finished commercial here.

Hannah 'I Believe'

London March 30th 2010
International artist Hannah launches her new chart topping single “I believe in you” with a must see 3D animated live action video. The song has gone straight to Number One in the dance charts. Hannah, who is competing with the likes of Lady Gaga on the dance charts, approached SquareZero three weeks ago – requesting a video with a difference.
Director Najma Bhatti swiftly came up with the concept of Hannah flying into space (in her 3d animated spaceship) and landing on a lonely grey planet-filled with 2d animated aliens who, soon welcome the brightness Hannah injects into their lives, through her infectious music.
As the song progresses we soon see the changes this encourages in her animated friends. Rainbows are created, alien DJ’s start spinning awesome dance tunes and aliens fall in love.
Since launching, the single has shot straight up the charts, understandably Hannah was thrilled: “I can’t believe my eyes! I’m looking at today’s Music Week and my new single...’I Believe In You’ is the highest NEW entry on Upfront Club Chart; and the position is number 8 - that is just FANTASTIC!!!”
And since then it has creeped up to number one;as reported on Monday the 29th of March by Hannah “OH WOW!!! My new single "I Believe In You" on UK Music Week Upfront Club Chart...coming in at no 1!! I'm speechless... WOW!!!”
Snowdog records began the pitch process, by sending Hannah’s track out, and inviting a range of top flight directors and companies to submit their ideas. The brief was for the video to reflect the tracks inherent sense of positivity and lightness. Snowdog wanted a video with which to lift clubbers’ moods after one of the UK’s longest and greyest winters.

IVCA Gold Award for Astra

Vicky holding the award here with director Phil Hawkins and agency TRO, who went to the IVCA awards and picked up our Gold for the Vauxhall Astra Interactive Trailer campaign. The trailer was the winner in the External Interactive Media category. SquareZero produced live action and post for the virtual reality style test drive of the Astra. We have a full account of the project on our blog here.                              

SquareZero make BURBERRY’S FASHION WEEK graphics come alive in 3D.

Britain’s much beloved and uber cool brand, Burberry, who can boast snaring both Kate Moss and Emma Watson as past models - have continued their trend of ‘what’s hot right now’ by embracing the technological advancements of 2010 and beyond - a 3d catwalk show, which perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the post Avatar world.

Today’s live London fashion week event, which is being produced by Nineteen Fifteen Productions for Burberry - will be transmitted in 3d to events especially set up in top fashion cities: Dubai, Paris, New York, LA and Tokyo.

These cities will have special screens at each venue, which will be tailor made for the event. Each guest will have a pair of 3D glasses and be able to see engaging 3D close ups of the fabrics and designs.
Nineteen Fifteen commissioned Squarezero Ltd, to design the opening stereoscopic sequence of titles and in prog graphics; which introduces both the brand and the host country it is specifically being broadcast to.

Squarezero’s Creative Director Najma Bhatti worked closely with Burberry’s lead creative David Hudson, as it was imperative that the Burberry Brand was represented in exactly the right way.

East London company, SquareZero were commissioned to create this groundbreaking content, as they have been increasingly working in both Stereoscopic and auto-stereoscopic 3D, since the 2006 launch of the new Toyota Auris. This innovative and eye catching promotional tour, saw the new Toyota Auris broadcast in 3D throughout a range of shopping centres - utilising the Phillips Auto-stereoscopic screens (essentially 3d without glasses).

Since then, SquareZero have been pioneering developments in stereo 3d, working with brands such as: Toyota, Bosch, Western Geco, Nineteen Fifteen’s “Kylie Minogue 3D concert” and now the World’s first 3d stereoscopic fashion show for Burberry.

The world really is embracing all that is 3D, and SquareZero are proud to be at the animation front of this exciting new movement, working alongside Vicki Betihavas and the team at Nineteen fifteen.

SquareZero creates ABBA holograms

Devoted Abba fans will be able to sing and dance on stage with iconic Swedish super group ABBA ,in what promises to be one of the most exciting and spectacular features of the current ABBAWORLD exhibition.  See the movie here.

With the high definition holographic video system, Eyeliner - ABBA comes alive again through a holographic illusion of the group for the audience to interact with.

Together with content provider, SquareZero, Musion Systems have made it possible for the audience to come closer to ABBA than ever before.



Fans will join 3d caricatures of Bjorn, Benny, Frida and Agnetha on stage, for a jamming karaoke session-which will all be filmed. The holograms will appear life sized next to the dancing and singing human participants.

This personalized footage- which is stored on the fans ticket, can later be accessed by going online to the official Abbaworld website.

The process for creating the ABBA holograms has been a challenging yet fun one.

SquareZero directed the motion capture of the artists by Abba tribute band - “Planet Abba”. The data was then used in 3D characters and costumes designed at SquareZero, which had to meet with approval by Benny and Bjorn themselves! Extra layers of animation were added, and the caricatures lip synched to the two chosen songs; “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia”. The biggest challenge was capturing a facial likeness without the caricatures looking too realistic.And of course creating the piece in a way that it would work on the Musion Eyeliner system and be a fun, engaging experience for all the participants.

Musion Eyeliner uses a specially developed foil that reflects images from high definition video projectors, making it possible to produce virtual holographic images of variable sizes and incredible clarity, using industry standard software.

Touring Exhibitions president, Magnus Danielsson is excited: “We want to develop the exhibition market and the Eyeliner system is a big step forward in the right direction. It adds tremendous entertainment value to any exhibition and I think the audience at ABBAWORLD will be absolutely amazed by what has been achieved.”

The Abba holograms can be seen at ABBAWORLD when the exhibition makes its long awaited debut in the heart of London for a limited run, at the Museum Hall, Earls Court, from 27 January 2010.

hologram video on Sky news

clip of dancer on stage Youtube

animation on Gamer Blips website

more pictures here