Radio Design led the creative direction for the virtual production on Ellie Goulding’s Like A Saviour, working alongside real-time production specialists Dimension and DNEG and director Joe Connor to shape the visual narrative and oversee its execution.

A photorealistic 3D desert environment was built in Unreal Engine 5, designed to transition from day to night with time-lapse skies, dynamic lighting and star trails. The environment was deployed in real-time on a large-scale LED volume for the shoot.

The sequence unfolds from dawn through to midnight, with the passage of time compressed to match the length of the music video. Virtual production enabled rapid iteration and playback across multiple time-of-day scenarios that would have been impossible to achieve on location.

To extend the illusion into the physical space, production company Just Fred constructed a sandpit within the LED volume, allowing Ellie Goulding and her dancers to perform in a tangible environment that merged with the virtual desert beyond.

For more details, read Dimension’s case study.