A Hampshire marquee manufacturer was the key ingredient in realising a promotional campaign for smash hit kid's film Ratatouille. Southampton's Custom Covers were asked to make a cover shaped like a giant piece of cheese to support the computer-generated film's marketing campaign. The 15m by 12m structure was the cornerstone of the Ratatouille Big Cheese Tour; which incuded cooking demonstrations and a film preview. Simon Bell, technical and production director, said the project's technical difficulties were food for thought. "The Big Cheese has to hold a sophisticated projection system with drapes to keep light out," he said. "The whole structure also has to be strong and weather-tight, but quick to erect or dismantle. It also has to be aesthetically perfect, constructed to high tolerance levels to make it weather-proof and accurately measured to eliminate wrinkling. A computer-generated cartoon tale of a gourmet rat, Ratatouille has already grossed £210m in cinemas worldwide. |
