Greenpeace has used this moment to greet world leaders as they made their way to the summit by sending them a strong and simple message.
For the first time, 300 illuminated drones and light projections have been used to create breathtaking 3D moving images of iconic animals. The animals travel from all corners of the world and are seen descending on Cornwall, demanding that the world leaders at the G7 ‘ACT NOW’ to tackle the climate and nature crisis.
Then – to make sure world leaders saw our message – activists staged a protest as US President Joe Biden landed in the UK on Air Force One.
The animals that light up the night sky over Cornwall are made up of 300 illuminated drones. Using complex software, drones were choreographed to form 3D shapes of iconic animals: from the giant blue whale to the tiny (but very important) bee. It was made for Greenpeace as a collaboration between Celestial – the drone display company behind Scotland’s Hogmanay 2021 New Year’s drone show, projectionists Projections On Walls and animators We Are Covert.
Together the animals journey from all over the world to the cliffs in Cornwall – where world leaders are staying for the G7 – and transform together into a final message: stop extinction, act now.
The words span up to 250ft (76m) in height and 400ft (122m) in length – could this be Greenpeace’s biggest banner ever?!
“I hope it’s not too late”
Children narrate the film with powerful messages of hope, such as, “I hope it’s not too late, I hope the grown-ups in charge wake up” and “I hope they defend the forests for the animals and people living there”.
Hearing the children’s hopes for a better world was a deeply moving experience for the adults who were present at the recording session that day. And in the video, the voices of children make us think about what kind of world we’ll be leaving for them in the next 100 years.
In the final moments of the video, the last child gives one final message: Hope comes from action, not words. This phrase was inspired by climate activist and school striker Greta Thunberg. It serves as a reminder to world leaders (and people everywhere) that there are reasons for hope. But only if we take meaningful steps and act now.
Enough time has been wasted on warm words and setting targets, which is what these meetings often seem to deliver. We need bold commitments but they must also be urgently delivered. World leaders have the power to tackle the mounting but interconnected crises we face, but only if they act now.
Where we filmed
The projection animals were filmed across parts of Cornwall including the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Mullion Cove and Sandy Acres.
Several trips to Cornwall were required to locate the beautiful Cornish landscapes needed to tell that part of the story. Mullion Cove and the Lost Heligan Gardens were epic natural locations that mimicked some of the world’s flora and fauna.
Drone pilots from around the world also sent the team footage of deserts, jungles, mountains and Antarctica – to help capture the majesty of our natural world on a global scale.
Source: Press Release