The Detectorists Christmas Special 2022

For The Detectorists, I was asked to step in and tackle a few challenges with animating one of the key props for the 2022 Christmas Special.

The prop in question was a magnificent golden reliquary casket. The sequence required the casket to be built in a stop-frame animation. The sequence started with a goblet on a wooden plinth with a wooden box being constructed around it before the golden panels were attached.

Once the panels were in place, the entire casket needed to collapse sideways as if broken by age or some other unseen force. Then the casket went through several stages that showed it travelling before being renovated and restored. The casket is then stolen in the night and set atop a pole to be used as a standard in a battle sequence that falls into the mud from a great height and is subsequently smashed by a warrior’s shield.

In the end, I built three wooden boxes. One for each of the main stages included in the sequence. One box was made from oak and could be easily animated and disassembled again for re-shoots. It could also collapse sideways without falling apart completely. Thereby making it simple to reset for another take.

The second box would be a solid box that the golden panels could be attached firmly to. This box would handle all the scenes where the reliquary was required to withstand rough handling.

The third and final box was a wooden break-away box that the panels could be loosely pinned to for the scene in which it is smashed.

Here are some images of the stop-frame oak casket in various stages showing the Grail cup and golden panels attached.

The golden panels of the reliquary casket were created by artist and craftsman George Easton. You can find more of his work at www.danegeld.co.uk

The Grail cup was created by master potter Graham Taylor and you can see more of his work at www.potted-history.co.uk