“The impressive thing about the CGI work on Fight For Life is that the degree of realism (down to details such as clouds of floating debris, simulation of dirt on the lens, and artificially imposed vignetting) generates a real emotional connection between the viewers and this very dramatic subject. It transports the audience into a part of the universe they think they know, but can know much better through the graphics simulations.” - Jim Blinn (inventor of the Blinn shader and one of the pioneers of the computer graphics industry)

“Impressive execution and seamless integration, the success of the programme relied on the believability of the digital effects. A truly intense visual experience.” – RTS judges

In this multi award winning six-part series for BBC One, the dramatic story of how the human body triumphs in crisis needed to be told from the inside, as well as the outside. Real life stories from patients in A&E and operating theatres fused with CGi revealing - for very the first time - the fight from inside the human body.

The brief on this major visual effects series was to make it seem as if an endoscopic camera was deep inside the body, recording its Fight for Life. With 250 shots across six episodes, the CGI recreations include how a heart attack would look from the inside, a baby struggling for life in the womb and X-ray “trauma vision” style shots to show the internal workings of the body.

A variety of techniques and approaches were tried and tested in order to come up with the spectacular results. Simulation software was used to create liquid effects, multiple render passes were used to bring the internal organs to life and high speed shot elements, such as splats and condensation on the lens were finally added to help the immersive experience.  Complete models were created of the whole human body with all the internal organs, circulation, muscles, skeleton, nerves, and skin. These were then adapted and rigged across all body ages, sexes and types to cover all the different stories in the series.

The Visual Effects for the series have won an unprecedented number of awards for a series of this kind, including a BAFTA, VES and RTS award, setting a new bench mark for CGI portrayals inside the human body.

Go to Studio Daily

Go to Citation pdf from the Siggraph talk on Fight For Life

Go to CGSociety