Iconic British comedians Morecambe and Wise were brought back for a special appearance during the recent BBC Children in Need telethon, thanks to Musion Eyeliner ‘holographic’ projection technology.
Using archive BBC footage dating from 1965, Musion, in partnership with Holomedia and content partner Square Zero, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were digitally resurrected for a special once-in-a-lifetime performance of ‘Bring Me Sunshine’. Radio broadcaster Chris Moyles joined the pair onstage in person for the dance routine.
The act was achieved by digitally combining four different performances archived from the 1960s and 1970s. The seamless final cut was made even more impressive by the technical work used to create the tap dancing segment.
As no source footage existed, Holomedia and Square Zero worked together to merge various still shots together to create a moving image. This footage was then digitally placed onto two real body double dancers, which when combined with motion tracking and further digital morphing, resulted in the realistic resurrection of Morecambe and Wise. Further post production assistance was provided by Square Zero.
Ian O’Connell, director of Musion, said, “We’re delighted the BBC chose to include us in Children in Need. Bringing back two of the greatest comedic personalities ever to grace UK TV was both humbling and incredibly exciting. We’re honoured we could be included in such a long-running charitable cause as well as be part of broadcasting history.”
The life-like 3D performance was made possible by Musion3D, the patented high-definition projection system that has been used for live appearances or recorded, or even simulated, performances by Tupac. Mariah Carey, HRH Prince Charles, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Al Gore, Sir Richard Branson, David Beckham, Madonna, and the Black Eyed Peas,
