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A Type 26 warship sails at sea with "BAE SYSTEMS" text overlaid in large, bold white letters occupying the upper half of the image. The background is a cloudy sky, and the ship is positioned to the left, moving forward.
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Bae Systems:
Case Study

VIDEO OBJECTIVE

The Australian Navy was renewing its fleet of Frigate warships, so BAE Systems, a British defence giant came to Dragonfly, wanting a video that would sit central to a 20 billion pound bid. To convince the Australian government that BAE’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship was the right solution for them.

BAE Systems Logo

THIS VIDEO WON A $20 BILLION CONTRACT WITH THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
Introduction
A Type 26 naval warship commissioned by BAE Systems sails through the dark blue ocean waves with the text "BUILDING THE SHIP" prominently displayed in large white letters above it. The ship is moving forward, creating a wake in the water, under a hazy sky.
MOVIE GRADE VISUAL EFFECTS

The problem we faced was that the ship hadn’t been built, so we couldn’t just go out and film it, we needed to animate it. We required movie grade visual effects, completely avoiding the plastic-y look you can sometimes get with 3D animation. We took real footage of the ocean and composited our vessel into the shot. This was Hollywood grade special effects. The ship is fast, so we wanted to show it at flank-speed on a choppy sea.

A clipboard with a sheet of paper featuring typed text. The text reads: "Voiceover narration: BAE Systems is committed to transforming Australia's shipbuilding industry with the Type 26 frigates... Creating an economic ripple effect that will be felt beyond the sector. Five thousand jobs - a skilled workforce, fully Australian...
DEVELOPING THE CONCEPT

Our client wanted to sell defence and security, not to present their fleet of warships as weapons. Dragonfly identified positive benefits for the Australian Government, such as humanitarian missions, job creation, benefits to the economy and the deterrent.

It was necessary to animate the warship, as it was logistically impossible to capture real footage of the Type 26 vessel at sea. 3d Animation enabled our team to really showcase the ships capabilities.

The Concept
WIREFRAME modelling
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CLIENT REQUIREMENTS

​The wireframe was layered into real world live action footage. This technique resulted in footage that looked photorealistic and cinematic.

A pixelated, white silhouette of a military helicopter flying near a battleship is shown on a dark green background. The helicopter, possibly part of BAE Systems' offerings, is to the left of the image, and the battleship is to the right with visible details, including its deck and superstructure.

FROM WIREFRAME TO cinematic footage

Our animators crafted very dramatic scenes of the Type 26 operating at sea. Slide the tool below to see the wireframe come to life.

A digital wireframe rendering shows a BAE Systems Type 26 naval warship with detailed structures and a helicopter hovering nearby. Both the ship and the helicopter are depicted in a transparent, grid-like design against a solid black background. Black and white image of a Type 26 naval warship navigating through rough seas with visible whitecaps. A helicopter hovers close to the ship, possibly preparing for takeoff or landing on the rear deck. The scene conveys a sense of motion and intensity, highlighting the vessel's advanced capabilities under a defense contract.

WIREFRAME

A military ship, possibly a Type 26, sails through the ocean under a cloudy sky, while a helicopter flies nearby. The bold white text "SOUND DESIGN" is overlaid on the image.
MOVIE GRADE SOUND EFFECTS

It doesn’t get much more challenging than creating life like and realistic sounds of a huge vessel on the open ocean, along with helicopters.

Dragonfly’s foley artist was given the challenge to create each sound individually and then mix these into a finished soundtrack which an audience wouldn’t be able to differentiate from real life.

Dragonfly’s foley artist was given the challenge to create each sound individually and then mix these into a finished soundtrack which an audience wouldn’t be able to differentiate from real life.

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&

WATCH OUR CEO FOUNDER Charlie Southall

Dragonfly director, Charlie, discusses the BAE Systems project – sharing some real insight on the production process.

Charlie Southall
A ship's bow and part of the hull are illuminated against a dark, blue-green background with scattered light particles. The vessel, possibly a Type 26 from BAE Systems' defense contract portfolio, features a gray upper structure and a red underside, giving it a sleek, modern appearance.
A CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAIL

The ship was equipped with a mission bay helicopter landing pad, so it was important to show its relationship with military helicopters. We wanted the video to be factually correct, so our team animated the exact helicopter, the NH-90, that the Australian armed forces use, focussing on every detail, right down to the little kangaroo emblem painted on the side.

A lot of thought went into every element; the editing style, the choice of music, even designing the perfect backdrop as the ship and the helicopter go into the sunset, portraying a job well done. Mission complete.​

The ship was equipped with a mission bay helicopter landing pad, so it was important to show its relationship with military helicopters. We wanted the video to be factually correct, so our team animated the exact helicopter,
the NH-90, that the Australian armed forces use, focussing on every detail, right down to the little kangaroo emblem painted on the side.

A lot of thought went into every element; the editing style, the choice of music, even designing the perfect backdrop as the ship and the helicopter go into the sunset, portraying a job well done. Mission complete.​

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FINAL VIDEO

Take a look at the finished video below. The 3d Animation took our team four months to produce and involved a team of six. The resulting video footage exceeded expectation and carries real impact.

Take a look at the finished video below. The 3d Animation took our team four months to produce and involved a team of six. The resulting video footage exceeded expectation and carries real impact.

FINAL VIDEO

Silhouette of a helicopter with two main rotor blades and a tail rotor. The helicopter, resembling those used in defense contracts by BAE Systems, appears in a simple, minimalistic style with uniform color, highlighting the basic structure without intricate details.

Response

“Dragonfly assisted us with our C-5000 bid, a proposal targeted to the Australian government. The video which Dragonfly created for us showcased our type 26 Frigate, leading to a successful bid and a winning pitch!”

JAMIE MORSE

BAE Systems Logo

A monochromatic artistic depiction of a European-style cityscape featuring intricate buildings, towers, and spires. The scene appears lopsided and stylized, giving a whimsical and abstract feel to the architecture, reminiscent of the innovative designs BAE Systems employs in their Type 26 defense contract projects.
Silhouette of a detailed BAE Systems battleship, viewed from the side. The ship features various mounted guns, a tall central mast, and detailed superstructure elements. The image emphasizes the ship's complex outline and intricate components, reminiscent of designs from a C5000 defense contract.
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Dragonfly, a video production company in London.