BBC Creative has unveiled its new campaign for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, with a “visually arresting fusion of natural illumination and world class stop-motion that brings the spirit of the Games to life in a way never seen before.”
The “Trails Will Blaze” campaign is set in the frozen landscapes of the Dolomites, and drawing inspiration from the Olympic torch, the world’s greatest winter athletes are presented dazzling with such intensity that glowing trails are left in their wake.
For this campaign, BBC Creative partnered with award‑winning animation studio NOMINT, led by director and founder Yannis Konstantinidis, to produce a stop‑motion film.
Shot using stop animation and seven hundred individually 3D‑printed athletes, the film uses fourteen volatile combustion techniques, these complex technical procedures produced a frame-by-frame performance against scale models of the Italian mountains.
Yannis Konstantinidis, founder and director of NOMINT said: “This project was technically demanding and creatively exhilarating. From our very first conversation with BBC Creative, we knew we had the chance to pursue the near-impossible. It demanded absolute trust and a willingness to take real creative risks in pursuit of something extraordinary.”
“This film celebrates courage, not just in sport, but in creativity. It is a reminder that when brave creative teams come together with obsessive makers, you can still create work that breaks new ground.”
Jess Oudot, Creative Director at BBC Creative said: “The film is a celebration of the trails athletes blaze at the Winter Games and just like they push the limits of their sports, we wanted to push the limits of stop motion.”
The film is set to a powerful new arrangement of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The full film is here “Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games | Official Trailer – BBC
Credits
BBC Creative
Director – Justin Bairamian
Head of Production – James Wood
Interim Head of Planning – Rhonwen Lally
Executive Creative Director – Rasmus Smith Bech
Executive Creative Director – Dave Monk
Creative Director – Matt Leach
Creative Director – Jess Oudot
Senior Creative – Paul Bailey
Senior Creative – Russell Hendrie
Senior Producer – Rachel Roberts
Project Manager – Hattie Buxton
Planner – Asa Nowers
Production Manager – Emi Bozzi
Senior Designer – Amy Fullalove
Lead Designer – Daniel Cooper
Motion Designer – Andrea Stragapede
BBC Marketing
Director, Marketing & Audiences – Paul Davies
Head of Marketing, BBC Sports – Liv Slack
Marketing Manager – David Wheadon
Marketing Executive – Kate Plowright
Media Portfolio Lead – Marc Jones
Campaign Planner – Eleanor O’Kane
Production Company – NOMINT
Director – Yannis Konstantinidis
Executive Producer – Marilena Vatseri
Executive Producer – Christos Lefakis
Producer – John Mouratis
Director of Photography – Toby Howell
Production Designer – Gordon Allen
Stopmotion Animator – Dario Imbrogno
Stopmotion Animator – Rhiannon Evans
VFX Supervisor – Matthieu Landour
Pyrotechnics – Armoury FX
SFX Supervisor – Matthew Strange
BDS
Behind the Scenes Videographer – Ben Dowden
Black Kite
Colourist – George Kyriacou
VFX Artist – Alistair Hamer
Producer – Carmen Hogg
750mph
Sound Design – Sam Ashwell
Sound Design – Mike Bovill
Head of Production – Rachel Saxon
Music “Requiem”
Composer – Giuseppe Verdi
Arranger – Alex Baranowski
Performer – BBC Symphony Orchestra
Performer – BBC Symphony Chorus
Performer – Crouch End Festival Chorus
Chief Conductor – BBC Symphony Orchestra Sakari Oramo
Jon Creamer
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