• Situation

The launch of Amazon Prime's "Citadel" series, a spy thriller with deep historical roots, required a marketing campaign that blended fiction with real historical elements to captivate and intrigue audiences.

• Brief

Digital Domain was tasked with creating an innovative trailer for the "Citadel" series. The goal was to use advanced visual effects and deepfake technology to seamlessly integrate historical figures John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill into the series' narrative, making them appear as part of the covert agency's history.

• Objectives

Innovate in Visual Storytelling: Employ advanced VFX to create a standout trailer in the streaming market.

Enhance Series Mythology: Integrate historical figures into the series mythology, deepening its narrative complexity.

Showcase Technical Excellence: Demonstrate the cutting-edge capabilities of deepfake technology and VFX in entertainment.

In creating the "Citadel Myth" trailer, Digital Domain leveraged our proprietary AI tool, Charlatan, to authentically recreate figures like John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, achieving unprecedented realism in visual effects. The main challenge was extending Charlatan's use beyond facial features to include hair, a novel application for this technology. This required detailed archival research and Charlatan's advanced whole-head training to perfectly blend historical footage with actor performances.

Additionally, Rapscallion provided essential real-time feedback during shooting, ensuring alignment with archival footage and minimizing post-production work. Our meticulous compositing work focused on harmonizing lighting, skin tones, and eye gaze, ensuring seamless integration into live-action footage. Voiceover actors added a final layer of authenticity, culminating in a visually compelling trailer that sets a new benchmark in the field of visual effects and digital storytelling.