What if Elsa, the ice queen of Arendelle, arrived in Newcastle?
That was the simple idea behind the trailer for Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical, created by TVG Creative Co. ahead of the production’s October season at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre.
The concept was to take a character audiences instantly recognise and place her in locations they know just as well, from the Breakwater and Ocean Baths, through the Nobbys Beach Arches and past City Hall, onto the Newcastle light rail and finally to the Civic Theatre.
As Elsa moves through the city, Newcastle gradually begins to freeze around her.
“We weren’t trying to recreate a scene from the show,” explains TVG Creative Co. videographer and Creative Director Jason “JJ” Jamieson. “We were imagining what might happen if Elsa stepped out of that world and into Newcastle.”
The result may look effortless, but creating those 30 seconds was anything but.
Behind the 30 seconds
Hundreds of hours went into the trailer across concept development, pre-production, location planning, performance direction, filming, editing, post-production and delivery.
Long before the cameras rolled, the team mapped out Elsa’s journey through Newcastle, carefully considering how each location would connect to the next.
The identity of the actress playing Elsa had also not yet been revealed, so the performance and camera framing were deliberately designed to keep her face largely hidden. Audiences could recognise Elsa immediately, while still being left wondering who was behind the iconic character.
Filming itself involved a full creative crew travelling between numerous locations, often carrying equipment considerable distances to reach the perfect shot.
And then there was the weather.
The original shoot was washed out by heavy rain, forcing the crew to leave Newcastle and return several days later. When they finally got to film, strong winds created another challenge: keeping Elsa’s iconic hairstyle neat and tidy.
Then came the unpredictable nature of filming in public.
As soon as people realised Elsa was walking around Newcastle, they wanted to meet her. Families, children and Disney fans stopped for photographs and hugs, while people called out “Let it go!” from passing cars.
It was wonderful although not always particularly helpful when the crew was trying to capture a shot.
One light rail sequence was particularly memorable. The team waited around 40 minutes for the tram to complete its journey so they could film Elsa stepping off and running towards the Civic Theatre. Just as she stepped into frame, someone walked directly in front of the camera.
The crew had to wait another 40 minutes for the tram to come around again.
“We made absolutely 1000% certain that nobody was getting anywhere near that frame the second time,” Jason laughs.
Turning Newcastle into Arendelle
Once the footage was captured, the real locations could begin their transformation.
The snow and ice effects were created in post-production using professional creative software including Premiere Pro, Photoshop and After Effects.
But the effects weren’t simply dropped onto the footage.
They were developed shot by shot, with the team considering Elsa’s movement, the surrounding architecture and how the ice should travel through each environment. Snow needed to sit naturally within the locations, while the ice needed to feel as though it was actually interacting with Newcastle.
There was also a deliberate story behind the progression: as Elsa moves through the city, her magic appears to become increasingly difficult to contain.
“The VFX were not simply there for WOW factor,” says Jason. “They were also intended to reveal something about Elsa herself.”
Each shot was reviewed and refined multiple times, with decisions made around timing, scale, texture, movement and composition.
The technology was part of the toolkit, but the creative judgement remained firmly human.
When Arendelle met Newcastle
Perhaps the most rewarding part of the project happened while the cameras were still rolling.
“We set out to create the illusion of Elsa moving through Newcastle, but as soon as she appeared in those familiar places, people connected with her immediately,” Jason says.
“For those moments, the distance between the magical world of Arendelle and the real city of Newcastle simply disappeared.”
And that is exactly what the trailer was designed to achieve.
To see Elsa in places you know. To recognise Newcastle and then suddenly see it through a little bit of Disney magic.
But the trailer is ultimately just the beginning.
“As much as we can create magic on screen, there’s nothing quite like sitting in a theatre and watching that world and those characters come alive in front of you,” says Jason.
“Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, Hans and Sven all coming to life in front of you with all of those beautiful songs you know and love.”
After bringing Elsa to life across Newcastle, the next stop is the Civic Theatre.
And this time, the magic will be live.
Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical comes to the Civic Theatre Newcastle this October.