THE BRIEF

We were approached by a group of popular YouTubers called “The Sidemen” to help deliver effects to an ambitious hide and seek project. The plan was for them to find 40 YouTubers using a helicopter, search dog, gators and bicycles. We were tasked with providing 15m liquid flames for both the start and finish, along with smoke mines which would alert participants to the shrinking game area as well as adding impact to key moments.

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge was set on Osea Island; an inhabited island in the estuary of the River Blackwater in Essex. It’s approximately 380-acres (1.5-sq-km) in size and is connected to the north bank of the river by a tidal causeway that is covered at high tide. This meant a very early start so we could make it onto the island at low tide, not a crossing that we’d want to miss! Once on the island, we set our smoke mines up so that they created a curtain of coloured smoke, maximising the visual impact for the multiple cameras & drones. Given the size of the island, we had to make sure that we had good enough signal to wirelessly fire all smoke mines at same moment when the zones were closing in.

THE SOLUTION

Creating curtains of smoke across multiple widely-spread zones meant that we opted to have two firing systems, so we could ensure that everything fired on cue. We had multiple firers ensuring this happened and in the end, everything fired as planned. The liquid flames provided less of a logistical challenge but added plenty of impact to the challenge.

THE RESULT

The Sidemen were happy with the result, we even ended up helping to disguise Syndicate, who ended up being joint winner! If you’re interested, the full video of the hide and seek can be found below: