BTS on 'Get Covered' - AI Smoke VFX
Fire Kills
About the Project
'Get Covered', the latest Fire Kills campaign from the UK Government, demonstrates how AI and traditional craft work together to push creative boundaries. Created by The Gate Films production and Tag's Innovation team, the project showcases an AI-driven VFX pipeline that delivers polished fire and smoke effects without compromising on quality. Throughout the project, the team documented the entire process, comparing AI-assisted workflows against traditional methods to understand where technology adds real value.
Challenge
Deliver realistic fire and smoke VFX for a government advert, shot live-action in a house at night, across 4–5 shots on a tight timeline. The real challenge? Prove that AI could enhance traditional VFX craft without replacing the human expertise that makes great work possible.
The Solution
Tags Innovation team, collectively they led an end-to-end AI-assisted workflow that brought together practical elements, VFX craft, and smart technology:
Pre-production R&D: Exploring AI tools and building a pipeline that worked
On-set supervision: Capturing the right plates and technical references from the start
AI-assisted post-production: Accelerating exploration and iteration while keeping human judgment front and center
Traditional VFX craft: Maintaining core disciplines tracking, compositing, finishing, throughout
The approach was simple: use AI where it adds value, but never let it make the final call. Human expertise stayed essential for quality control, creative decisions, and craft.
The Result
The Fire Kills campaign proves that creativity thrives when humans and technology work together. The behind-the-scenes content captures this collaboration in action, showing how the smoke effects came to life through a blend of skill, technicality, and innovation.
It's a clear demonstration that AI amplifies craft, it doesn't replace it. The project has been shared across LinkedIn and credentials platforms as a transparent case study, offering production peers, clients, and prospects a practical blueprint for integrating AI responsibly into creative production.
