Working with Australian artist Konstantina, Sky Creative and the animation crew at Coffee & TV collaborate on a spectacular mix of Indigenous art and 2D and 3D techniques for Sky Sports’ coverage of the Lions Tour 2025 rugby tournament.

From the team at Sky Creative: “At the heart of the creative lies the work of Konstantina, a proud Gadigal woman of the Eora Nation and a neocontemporary Indigenous artist. Her bold brushwork, vibrant palette, and use of traditional dot painting techniques helped shape the campaign’s aesthetic.

“Sky Creative developed the storyboards and visual narrative, carefully researching the environments and cultural elements that would define the campaign’s emotional tone and authenticity which we brought to life by combining traditional storytelling with CG and VFX techniques.
 

“At the heart of the creative lies the work of Konstantina, a proud Gadigal woman of the Eora Nation and a neocontemporary Indigenous artist.”

 
“Working in Maya, the team blocked out action, camera choreography, and layout, then developed a bespoke Houdini workflow for the hero lion, a fully customizable, living painting rendered from a 3D base model.

“Animation added richness and nuance to the piece, while the DMP (digital matte painting) team handcrafted textures and environmental elements using textures from Konstantina’s artwork. All elements were composited in Nuke and graded in Baselight to create the final look.

“While generative AI was used at the early conceptual stage, the execution relied exclusively on hands-on artistry, cultural consultation, and close collaboration between Konstantina and the creative team. The result is a campaign that not only captivates but honors the story it tells.”
 
 

 
Client: Sky Sports

Agency: Sky Creative
Managing Director: Simon Buglione
Group ECD: Ceri Sampson
CD: Harry Ward
Design Director: Danny Yeomans
Senior Designer: Emma Knudsen
Designer: Joel Vaughan, Grace Gray
Indigenous Artist: Kate Constantine (Konstantina)
Director of Production: Sophie Brooks
EP: Sofie Leale
Senior Producer: Nick Mason, Nicky Chauhan
Producer: Ellie MacDonald
CD, Innovation: Jason Landau
Senior Real Time Designer: Phil Madge, Chris Atherton

Animation: Coffee & TV
ECD: Steve Waugh
EP: Alannah Currie
Senior Producer: Thom Godsill
CD: Danny Boyle
CG Supervisor: Julian Martin-Samos
Animation Supervisor: Chris Welsby
2D Lead: Jason Summersgill
2D: Elzon Pono, Oliver Chenery
CG: Richard Coley, Josh George, Tommy Lustigman, David Loh, Amelia Sturdy, Frankie Sutton, Jamie Lancaster
DMP: Chris Ostrowski, Florian Herold
Grade: George Neave
Color Assist: Liam Van Rooyen, Lois Chapman
R&D: Aaron Smith

Composer: Dave Connolly
Indigenous Musician: Matthew Doyle

Sound Design: Absolute Post
Sound Designer: Ian Hargest
Producer: Sian Hagan