Drylandia
Andreas Nilsson
Andreas Nilsson’s vision for Drylandia was to create a world both surreal and painterly, an uncanny planet befitting the origin story of Carlton Dry.
The 12-week process began in previs, anchored by music that shaped the rhythm and structure of the film. The world was designed and lit in collaboration with VFX specialists BaconX, before casting and shooting the Drylandians in studio. Live-action characters were woven into richly detailed CG environments, designed to sit somewhere between Hieronymus Bosch, Yves Tanguy, and Magritte.
Production Designer Damien Drew shared his approach to building the physical world of Drylandia.
“The brief for Drylandia called for an aesthetic that landed somewhere between a Nordic cult family hosting a 70s dinner party and an acid trip through a Dali-esque dystopian landscape. My art department and I were compelled to meet the absurd as if it were reality. The main set piece was a twelve-seat draught horse with jet-pack hooves that levitated through the landscape.
To execute this, we LiDAR-scanned a real white draught horse and used Rhino 3D to model an extended body for our twelve cast members. The resulting form was composited seamlessly with the live-action animal footage by BaconX in post production. The piece was engineered and built to support the cast using segmented plywood forms over an aluminium truss. Clad in white faux fur, the horse’s hindquarters featured a practical, in-camera canapé delivery system that served hors d’oeuvres on cue.”
These feats of physical ingenuity were stitched into the world built in post, forming a wonderfully surreal and singular whole.
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Production: Revolver
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Producer: Caroline Kruck
VFX: Bacon X
BTS: Damien Drew + BaconX
The landscape draws from the analogue spirit of classic matte paintings, echoing the otherworldly feel of golden-age films like Forbidden Planet.
“The edible canapés were inspired by 1970s cookbook imagery of sweet and savoury jellies, while the mechanical arm referenced the futurist visual language of 1950s science fiction. Our horse was fitted with bespoke leather tack and a custom bridle, and we sourced a range of eccentric instrument options for the cast. Our focus was on making the idea feel completely physical and grounded, so the humour emerged from a believably absurd world and the performances of its inhabitants rather than the artifice of an imaginary set piece.”
– Damien Drew, Production Designer
VFX breakdown by BaconX.
“Naturally, shooting something like this comes with plenty of technical challenges – it’s a bit like working blindfolded at times. However, we were extremely well prepared. We did extensive previs and techvis beforehand, which allowed us to plan the shots precisely on the computer. Having the camera motion-controlled meant we could replicate movements accurately and make informed creative decisions early on.
We also designed the lighting and mood before the shoot, so we already had a clear visual target. That preparation allowed us to make confident choices on set and achieve a seamless blend between the CG environment and the live-action performance.”
– Lars Wagner, BaconX
