The Cowgirl Project: Where Handmade Craft Rides into Virtual Production
At Plume Films, we believe the best stories have heart, soul, and a little bit of handcrafted charm. For our latest short film, The Cowgirl Project, we set out on an adventure that perfectly encapsulates our studio's ethos: crafting stories, creating impact. This project was a successful experiment, a poetic juxtaposition of miniature cardboard worlds and the immense power of cutting, edge LED screens.
The question we asked, alongside our technical partners at Racquet Studios, was simple, yet profound: How do you translate the tactile, imperfect beauty of handmade craft into a photoreal 3D environment, without losing its soul?
The result is a visually striking two minute film, a hybrid work blending live action, animation, and virtual production, proving that traditional artistry and advanced technology don't just coexist, they amplify one another.
The Story of the Cowgirl
The Cowgirl is a powerful fable about resilience and imagination. The film follows a quietly determined ten year old girl, our heroine, who is haunted by an “Evil Cloud” that persistently shadows her world. Set within a landscape she has made from cardboard and glue, the story is a journey of courage, culminating in her deciding not to be frightened anymore. It’s a short film for anyone who has ever carried a cloud of their own.
The themes of courage and imagination guided every creative decision, from the bespoke script written and directed by Chris Lewort, to the final colour grade.
A Handmade Vision, Reimagined
The film’s unique aesthetic is its primary hook, moving beyond typical animated clichés to create a world that feels both tangible and surreal.
Capturing the Soul of the Craft
Richard Jackson, Plume Films' Founder, Animator, and Designer, meticulously handcrafted all the miniature worlds, props, and characters, primarily using simple materials like paper, cardboard, and papier, mâché. Every crease, every raw edge, and every brushstroke was intentional, designed to give the world a human, imperfect beauty.
This is where the collaboration with Racquet Studios became essential. They took our physical, handmade models and used high, end photogrammetry and digital twin development workflows to capture every fold and fibre. This process allowed the tactile signature of the originals to be recreated as fully optimised, life, sized environments within Unreal Engine. The soul of the craft was digitally preserved and ready for the main stage.
Creative Tools and Technical Power
The Cowgirl Project is a showcase of how world, class equipment can be employed to serve a grassroots aesthetic. Our production pipeline was carefully selected to ensure technical fluency supported our unique creative vision.
Cinematography: The film was captured on an ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, paired with vintage Cooke Optics lenses. These lenses were chosen specifically for their characteristic warmth and cinematic falloff, ensuring that even within the digital environment, the image felt human and organic. The camera and lens kit were supplied by VMI.tv.
Virtual Production Core: The digital environment was powered by Unreal Engine virtual production technology, displayed across an LED Volume utilising ROE Visual and Brompton Technology panels, sourced from Video Screen Services.
Tracking and Workflow: Camera tracking was handled by the Stype RedSpy system, ensuring the virtual environment responded seamlessly to physical camera movements. Lighting control, crucial for integrating the live, action elements, was managed using IBL from Litepanels and Quasarscience, and post, production image manipulation was processed using Assimilate software.
The power of this setup allowed Plume Films to creatively direct the style and mood of the environment in real time, a game, changing benefit of the hybrid filmmaking approach.
Behind the Scenes: Collaboration in Action
This project is the definitive proof point for the Plume Films and Racquet Studios partnership, demonstrating a seamless, turn, key production pipeline.
Roles and Responsibilities
While Plume Films drove the creative vision, Racquet Studios provided the complex technical architecture to bring that vision to life.
Plume Films (Creative Direction): Led the concept, scriptwriting (Chris Lewort), artistic direction, prop design (Richard Jackson), and on, set creative direction, ensuring the final image honoured the handmade aesthetic.
Racquet Studios (Technical Execution): Provided technical consultation during development, managed the photogrammetry and Unreal Engine build, and oversaw the on, set virtual workflows. Head of Production Josh Lewis and Head of Technical Rob Ruardy ensured seamless integration between physical and digital components.
The world, class crew included Director of Photography Rob Wilton, Gaffer from Iron Hand Film Lighting, and Camera Operator David Cawley, all working in tandem to deliver feature, level technical excellence.
From Concept to Delivery
The post, production phase maintained the same high standards. Colour grading duties were carried out by experienced colourist and Racquet team member, Garry Maddison. His contribution ensured the short film received the same treatment applied to a host of features, including numerous blockbuster films from Christopher Nolan. The resulting visual experience is refined, yet retains the raw, tangible texture of the cardboard and glue that started it all.
The Future of Hybrid Filmmaking
The Cowgirl Project reveals a crucial truth about modern film production: technology should never replace traditional craft, it should amplify it.
For clients, this collective solution offers a unique advantage. You don’t have to choose between a distinctive, artisanal aesthetic and the efficiency of virtual production techniques. Our handmade methodology delivers the bespoke authenticity that clients and consumers highly value, while the technical fluency ensures your project is delivered with speed, excellence, and creative flexibility.
The success of this hybrid filmmaking model signals a new era for commercial campaigns and independent film, where creativity is limited only by imagination, not by budget or physical constraints
Conclusion
The Cowgirl Project is an emotionally resonant film that embodies the marriage of our passion for the handmade and our partners' technical mastery. It proves that by starting with craft, you can successfully ride that aesthetic into the world of Unreal Engine virtual production without losing the human touch.
If this story of combining handmade animation and cutting, edge tech has inspired you, we would love to hear from you.
Discover more about our process, and get in touch to discuss your next hybrid project.
Credits
Crew & Links:
Production: @plumefilms Virtual Production: @racquetstudios Director: @chrislewortfilms DoP: @robwilton_dp Starring: Lyla Calf @youngactorsagency
Crew: Head of Production: @jr_lewis_films Head of Technical: @robertruardy Art Director: @plumefilms AD: @ctingols Gaffer: @ironhandfilmlighting Spark: @bogdan.roth.robert Props Assistant: Dave Hipperson Camera Operator: @davidcawleydop 1st AC: @maxedmed 2nd AC: @danzigg Sound Designer: @zai.tangent Floor Manager: @jgr6.6 Trainee Spark: @duqueephoto
Equipment & Software: Camera: @arri (ALEXA Mini LF) Lenses: @cookeoptics Camera & Lens Kit: @vmi.tv Lighting Kit: @ironhandfilmlighting Camera Tracking: @stype #redspy IBL: @litepanels / @quasarscience Stabilisation: @egripment_camera_support LED Volume: @roevisual @bromtontech @videoscreenservices VP Engine: @unrealengine Photogrammetry: @capturingrealitycom IBL Software: @assimilateinc
