Blue Whales: Return Of The Giants wins big at the GSCA Achievement Awards!
September 30, 2024“It was an absolute pleasure to work with the fantastic team at Onsight on the 3D Giant Screen film Blue Whales – Return of the Giants. Their huge experience of delivering previous 3D Giant Screen films was critical to the success of this ambitious film and was hugely reassuring to me as a newcomer to this demanding and highly specialised format. At every stage of post-production, from the grade and online to creating the 3D version, Onsight were incredibly creative, collaborative and organised – the images look incredible on the giant screen and with the 3D shots it’s like you’re swimming with blue whales.” – Hugh Pearson, Director (Oceanic Films)
Blue Whales: Return Of The Giants won big at the GSCA Achievement Awards, coming away with Best Film – Short Subject, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design, Best Original Score, and Best Marketing Campaign by a Distributor.
Blue Whales: Return of the Giants follows the unbelievable journey of Blue Whales from near-extinction to rising populations, and the scientists committed to learning more about the elusive animal – the biggest to have ever lived.
At the heart of this film is a passion for these animals, our oceans, and conservation. Narrated by award-winning actor Andy Serkis, the film revolves around two scientific expeditions discovering more about blue whales. One concerns a population of blue whales that have not been seen for 50 years, and the team leading the high-risk search for them. The other features Diane Gendron, “The Blue Whale Whisperer”, and her team in their task of deciphering the role of blue whales in the ocean health and ecosystem by listening in to their ‘whale conversations’.
“We need to find out more about creatures like these because they inspire us to have hope. The film is a wonderful marriage of storytelling, fact-giving and entertainment.” – Andy Serkis
The film is directed and produced by Hugh Pearson, with senior producer Myles Connolly, Oceanic Film’s Production Manager Zoe Webb, and is scored by Steven Price. It is partnered with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, California Science Center, SK Films, Oceanic Films, and the NSF.
An uplifting, inspiring success story, the stunningly shot Blue Whales: Return Of The Giants opened globally in select Giant Screen and IMAX Theaters on May 25, 2023.
OnSight provided full Picture Post for this project, using our unique OPR (OnSight Picture Remastering) service. This covered full 6K picture post, 2D to 3D conversion, visual effects, shot extensions, bespoke giant screen deliverables and colour grading for both xenon and laser projection. The project was completed with colourist Andy Lee, Senior Online Editor Adam Sample, Stereo Supervisor Rik Tester, Online Editor Dan Bourne, VFX Artists David Wigram and Chris Panton, Edit Assistant Alfie Mitchell, and Digital Asset Coordinator Danielle Kidd. The project was overseen by Senior Post Producer Joana Coelho.