UnLondon

Bespoke On-Set Breakaway Stunts & Explosions for Greater Anglia’s “UnLondon”

MACHINESHOP designed, engineered, and executed the high-impact practical special effects for the major “UnLondon” commercial campaign for Greater Anglia Trains. Developed to invite busy city dwellers to escape the frantic rush of the capital for a calmer weekend getaway, the cinematic broadcast film relies on an energetic, stylized visual structure to contrast hectic city life with scenic coastal travel.

Our special effects crew worked directly on location to construct the main physical stunt sequence. The behind-the-scenes highlight how our workshop had an absolute smashing time rigging a large structural asset breakout. The dynamic in-camera debris collapse captures the intense feeling of a worker literally bursting straight out of a stressful office environment on cue.

Advanced Practical Mechanical Rigging & Wall Explosions

Executing a safe, high-velocity breakaway explosion inside a dressed office set requires precise load calculations, brittle material choices, and close coordination with the stunt coordinators:

• Bespoke Structural Breakaway Rigging: Custom engineering a localized, non-destructive mechanical system to safely explode an office partition wall outward on a live cue.
• Safe Practical Debris Formulation: Sourcing lightweight prop elements designed to smash through dramatically on camera without risking injury to the performers or camera crew.
• Controlled Atmospheric Impact Texture: Deploying high-velocity pneumatic air bursts to instantly project office paperwork into the frame, maximizing the visual force of the crash.
• Flawless Take-to-Take Continuity: Fabricating a rapidly reusable framing matrix that allowed our on-set technicians to execute fast structural resets between takes, keeping the tracking crew on schedule.