Merging original footage, 250 costumed performers, and proprietary post techniques, MJZ director Nicolai Fuglsig and London VFX shop Selected Works update a classic scene from Sylvester Stallone’s 1979 blockbuster Rocky II for UK bookmaker Ladbrokes.

New crowd footage for the 90-second spot was shot in a massive 300 x 160-foot studio in Budapest on 1:1 scale sets built to match the actual film locations including the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

CD Greg Spencer and his team at Selected Works first digitally removed Rocky’s fans from the original footage, then used Lidar to map the actual Philadelphia locations of the running sequence to aid in matching camera angles, lenses, and lighting for compositing the replacement crowd.

Watch the behind-the-scenes film:
 

 
Watch the original scene from Rocky II
 

 
Client: Ladbrokes

Agency: Neverland
Co-Founder, Acting ECD: Jon Forsyth
Co-founder, Brand Strategy: Simon Massey
Head of Production: Amy Coomber
Producer: Alex Cowley
Senior Creative: Lloyd Daniel
Design Director: Rich Kennedy

Production: MJZ
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Producer: Tim Wild
Executive Producer: Lindsay Turnham
Production Manager: Michelle Kirkman
DoP: George Richmond
1st AD: Ben Glickman

Facility Company: Pioneer

Post/VFX: Selected Works
Creative Director: Greg Spencer
Shoot Supervisor: Greg Spencer, Mickey O’Donoghue, Theajo Dharan, Adame Boutrif
Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe, Alex Fitzgerald
Producer: Katie Sharpe
Head of 3D: Paul Donnellan
CG Artist: Mickey O’Donoghue, Abner Marin
2D Artist: Jonathan ‘Wes’ Westley, Georgina Ford, Maheshwaran Chandrasekaran, Matt ‘Wispy’ Clarke, Stephanie Skarbeck
DMP: Amber Frisenda
Data Workflow: Man Lok Li

Previz/technical previz: Bigtooth Studios
Previs/technical previz lead: Jamie Bakewell
CG artist: Adame Boutrif, Pavan Mankoo, Katy Templeton, Ruben Gimenez

VFX: Irresistible Studios
CEO: Matt Nelson
Account Manager: Sherri Randell
Head of Animation: Jessica Norton
Head of Post: Luke Aldrich
Producer: Camilla Zupi
Creative Director: Karl Fenton
Senior Compositor: Peter Welton

Edit: Final Cut
Editor: Rick Russell
2nd Editor: Claire McGonigal
Assistant Editor: Josh Chadwick
Producer: Nikki Porter

Color: Fergus McCall @ Rare Medium

Audio post: 750mph
Head Sound Engineer: Sam Ashwell
Sound Design/Mix: Olivia Ray
Producer: Kirsten Troy

Music: “Gonna Fly Now”
Writers: Bill Conti, Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins
Publisher: Sony Music Publishing
Arranger: Tom Player @ Lost Track Productions
Music Supervisor: Jemma Skidmore @ Resilient Music LLP
Music Licensing: Richard Kirstein @ Resilient Music LLP