Comic Relief Red Nose Day: Snuffles the Dragon

To promote the Red Nose Day, Comic Relief and Sainsbury approached Artem SFX, the award-winning special effects company, with a brief to turn one of the noses Snuffles the Dragon into a charismatic animatronic character which feature in a series of short videos that were shared on social media, as well as a TV advert. In a series of hidden-camera sketches, Snuffles is placed among the fruit in a Sainsbury’s supermarket and calls out to unsuspecting customers, voiced by television personality, Rylan Clark. Cameras were placed behind Snuffles to gain POV angles and a microphone was placed nearby. Artem created the animatronic puppet by laser-scanning a Snuffles nose and manipulating the image on FreeForm, design software that allows human hands to ‘sculpt’ digital clay. The model was then 3D-printed, some parts were duplicated in soft silicone rubber and then assembled by hand. Snuffles was fitted with animatronic mechanisms that could be controlled by radio, allowing technicians to move his mouth and eyes behind-the-scenes as Rylan Clark entertained members of the public. Artem technicians were on set for the shoot to oversee the installation and operation.Agency: Havas