Minecraft’s Wild Update

‘Ruins Reimagined’ – Rebuilding Corfe Castle with Xbox and the National Trust

UNIT Studios and UNIT Creative teamed up to produce and post-produce the hero content for Xbox UK’s Minecraft ‘Wild Update’.

To celebrate the ‘Wild Update’, which allows players to access ancient cities in the game, Xbox has partnered with the National Trust to rebuild Dorset’s Corfe Castle within Minecraft. The aim of this project is to shine a light on the UK’s iconic ancient ruins to engage a younger audience in history.

With the help of Historian Alice Loxton and advice from National Trust archaeologist Martin Papworth, Minecraft YouTuber Grian reimagined this Dorset landmark within Minecraft. 

Microsoft’s Communications Agency, Assembly Media Ltd selected collaborative production company, UNIT Creative alongside Director Jacques Salmon to tell this unique and innovative story. 

In early summer 2022, the UNIT team had an early start to film the real-life drone sequence footage at sunrise over Corfe Castle. UNIT Creative then developed a set-built studio for filming with Grian and Alice. On-set the talent created a reimagined Minecraft-version of the first stone-built English castle; screen recorded footage alongside the duo’s reaction to camera was used to capture the story. 

UNIT Studios’ team collated all the raw footage. 2D Lead, Alec Eves, inserted quick cut-shots into the edit, which portrays the real Corfe Castle before switching to the Minecraft adaptation. These shots were decorated with animations of Minecraft blocks landing on the shot. The Creative Director of Colour, Denny Cooper then graded the piece making the ancient world feel vibrant and real before Jamie Thomas provided the Sound Design giving gravitas to the story. 

Alongside the video, the foundations of the castle will be available for the community to build on within Minecraft and reimagine their own versions of the ruin.

To further Minecraft’s mission to improve learning through technology, a Minecraft Education Edition package of the experience will be launched by the end of September 2022. This can be used by teachers across the UK as a creative toolkit to help their Key Stage 2 pupils engage with traditional curriculums such as History, Science, and Design and Technology. 

CREDITS 

Agency: Assembly Media Ltd
Agency Producer: Diane Chan
Account Director: Ed Hooton
Creatives: Jamie Cordwell & Jamie Warburton
Art Director: Sabine Stromsky
Head of Content: James Donovan

Production Company: UNIT Creative
Director: Jacques Salmon
Producer: Paul Mortimore
DOP: Edward Hiscox
Production Manager: Amelia Crook

UNIT

2D Lead: Alec Eves
Colour: Denny Cooper
Sound Design: Jamie Thomas
Producer: Abi Klimaszewska