We open in hot, thick jungle. The foliage is dense and it’s humid as hell. A howler monkey screams from the treetops. At the ground level, we see a huge venomous spider crawl towards the camera. The scale makes it look monstrous – the stuff of nightmares. We follow the deadly arachnid as it creeps through the jungle, hunting its prey.

The spider climbs up a leaf, over some camouflage and then onto the arm of a Royal Marine, who is lying in deep cover aiming his sights on an unseen enemy.

The spider feels its way forward, climbing over the Marine’s radio, along his shoulder and then onto his face. All the while the Royal Marine doesn’t move a muscle. He doesn’t shout or break cover. He maintains his focus directly on his mission. At the end we see the enemy, completely unaware, reflected in the Marine’s eyeball.

The Royal Marines are the UK’s elite fighting force. They are very proud to have the world’s toughest training for recruits taken from the general population. Every year between 75 - 85% quit before the basic training is over. It’s not for everyone. Only the most effective and mentally strong earn the prestigious green beret.

It was vital to the impact of the film that no-one could spot the spider was CGI. The model-build and texture were all based on a real spider, with the groom and hair created in Houdini along with the hair dynamics. The CG team added micro and macro dirt, as well as scattered water droplets to aid the creature’s ability to connect with the humid jungle environment.

The framing of the background plates was crucial, allowing us to create a natural environment. The textures and shaders were built in Mari, Substance, and Mudbox. This allowed the 3D team to spend more time ensuring the groom was correct. Movement, speed, and character were produced by rigging and animating in Maya using live action reference of many different varieties of tarantulas. Due to the size and detail in the frame, final CG renders took up to four hours per frame to complete.