1960's Galaxy Chocolate icon

Audrey Hepburn, icon of 20th Century, in new [2013] Galaxy advert.

Advert took five years to produce.

Set against the idyllic Mediterranean coastline of the 1960s, the Galaxy's one-minute spot features ostensibly authentic footage of Audrey Hepburn — the late film and fashion icon whose slender, elfin visage evokes a Golden Age beauty that, for most, is beyond the realm of imitation. Production company Framestore used advanced VFX techniques and a meticulous attention to detail to create the advert.

Framestore initial searched for a "Hepburn" double, someone who "share as many of her features and characteristics as possible." The doppelganger's face was scanned, using a facial action coding system that allowed Framestore to extract the muscle movements and textures needed to build a more faithful, CG Hepburn. After filming long the Amalfi Coast, Framestore returned to its in-house Capture Lab to further refine their actress' face, smoothing out transitions and expressions for animation.

However, facial scans proved rather inexact. As a result, they had to build a 3D model of the iconic actress, using footage from her film catalog as well as old images and documentaries.

IMITATING THE INIMITABLE

Framestore finalized its recreation after using the Arnold renderer to "perfect the soft, translucent feel of real skin," though there were major challenges along the way. According to the company, Hepburn's feline eyes and trademark smile proved most difficult to recreate, largely because they're her most instantly recognizable features. Although Framestore originally chose the double because of her eyes and planned constructing Hepburn's face around them, the team soon realised that "full CG was the only way to get it right."