APPROACH

For National Rail, I used a workflow I’ve been developing that brings photography, CGI and AI-assisted texturing into one creative process. It offers the control to stay true to an ambitious concept, with the flexibility to respond to the practical demands of a campaign.

Photography leads the process. I consider each image through its core elements: talent, environment, composition, props, lighting and interaction. Even when the brief calls for print, I look at how the image might later extend into motion or interactivity.

Working from the original creative sketches, we used CGI to build the foundations of each environment. This established the camera height, angle and composition, allowing us to plan for the campaign’s different media formats. Alongside this, we gathered references for textures, surfaces and props to guide the AI-assisted texturing and shape the lighting and atmosphere of each scene.

Bringing post-production forward meant we could review and refine these environments together before stepping onto set. Everyone had a clear understanding of the image we were working towards, helping us make the most of shoot time and focus on the talent’s performance and interaction with the scene. This approach also gave us greater flexibility to make adjustments throughout production.

Creative retouching and colour grading brought everything together, balancing light, texture and tone so that every element felt part of the same world and supported the story.