Amplify Brings Live-Action 3D Illusion to Life in London for Prime Video's The Wheel of Time

Prime Video is backing the launch of epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time with a live-action 3D illusion created by Amplify and featuring series star Rosamund Pike. It is the first time an anamorphic billboard has been used by an entertainment company to promote a series. 

In the illusion, we see an epic battle between the ‘Light’ - Pike’s character Moraine, of the all-female organisation the Aes Sedai, vs the ‘Dark’, an evil fade, commander of the dark army as the two appear to break out of the screen and into our world. The narrative of the content is bound together by the iconic figure of the Great Serpent.

Prime Video is debuting the illusion in London’s Piccadilly Circus on 15 November. It will also appear at iconic sites in key markets, including New York City’s Big Kahuna in Times Square and Tokyo’s Cross Shinjuku Vision.

The OOH anamorphic content is site-specific, as Pike delivered separate performances for each location to maximise the extremity of the illusion. Captured on green screen, the live-action performance was composited into each scene.  Pike’s hands were also match shot to create the effect of Moiriane channeling her  powers, which were then rebuilt in CGI. In creating the Fade, Amplify worked with the show's VFX teams at MPC and Amazon Studios, to harness the CGI model and animate it to break through into our world to deliver its terrifying scream. 

Alex Wilson, executive creative director at Amplify, said: “The Wheel of Time is a world full of diverse, exciting characters, storytelling and environments. A world which we wanted to build on, place the audience in the heart of, and then have break out into our reality. For the first time, we captured a live-action shoot with star Rosamund Pike, combining it with show quality VFX and bespoke 3D animation. In doing so, we have again broken the format of OOH 3D anamorphic illusions and brought The Wheel of Time to life for audiences like no show before.”

Prime Video’s brief for this OOH activity was to do something never-before-seen and introduce the series to a broad audience in a way that was accessible, relatable and inspiring, letting viewers know that The Wheel of Time is an epic, can’t-miss series. The wider marketing campaign includes high-impact placements across TV, VOD, OOH and social, targeting a global mass market audience.