Framestore has brought the late actress Audrey Hepburn back to the screen using the company’s highly advanced VFX techniques. The realistic CG Audrey was created for a Galaxy chocolate commercial in the UK.

First, they searched for the perfect Audrey Hepburn double who shared as many of her features and characteristics as possible. Then they carried out extensive facial scanning at their in-house Capture Lab, including a FACS (facial action coding system) session. This enabled the team to record over 70 possible muscle movements and capture high resolution textures.

The commercial was then shot along Italy’s Amalfi coast, with cameras covering the action from multiple angles so the team could get a perfect track of the double’s face.

A model of Audrey was built using the iconic star’s film catalog and press photographs. A new renderer called ‘Arnold,’ designed to accurately simulate the tracing of light, enabled the team to perfect the soft, translucent feel of real skin.

The biggest challenges for Framestore were Audrey’s eyes and signature smile. A team of four animators hand-animated carefully posed expressions in every shot in order to bring the star to life. You can check out the impressive commercial below:

Framestore