Greenpeace - There’s No Place Like Home


Overview

There’s No Place Like Home is a three-part film series created in collaboration with Greenpeace and Photoplay Films, inspired by NASA’s Vital Signs of the Planet — key indicators showing that our world’s health is in crisis.

The films visualise rising CO₂ levels, sea level rise, and global temperature increase through intimate, handcrafted metaphors. Each chapter takes place inside a tiny room built within a globe — a home within a home — showing how the forces transforming our planet mirror the fragility of the spaces we live in.

Concept and Execution

The concept was to humanise data through design-driven storytelling, grounding global statistics in small, relatable moments of change. Instead of CGI, every element was built by hand and captured entirely in camera.

The globe was 3D printed, hand painted, and mounted on a motorised rig that allowed it to rotate like a living planet. Each film used real practical effects — micro fog to represent CO₂ buildup, flooding with real water, and controlled fire to depict temperature rise.

Shot with a motion control camera system at Dropbear Studios, the project combined miniature model-making, lighting design, and cinematography to achieve a tactile, cinematic aesthetic that feels both familiar and unsettling.

Craft and Collaboration

Filmed over three days with cinematographer Simon Higgins (@trickatech), the production demanded precise coordination between physical effects, motion control, and camera movement. The colour grade by Daniel Witt and CJ Dobson at Moodlab brought richness and cohesion to the series, while Oliver Lawrance at Photoplay Films supported the project from its inception.

Purpose

The series was created as a visual call to action, reminding audiences that climate change isn’t an abstract concept — it’s happening inside our collective home.

When the air thickens, the water rises, and the walls catch fire, there’s nowhere else to go.
There’s no place like home.
 
Credits
Client: Greenpeace @greenpeaceap

Production Company:
Photoplay / Playtime
Executive Producer:
Oliver Lawrance 
Director:
Dropbear 
Cinematographer:
Simon Higgins

Music & Sound Post:
Sonar Music
Sound Design:
Andy Stewart

Voiceover: Kate Beahan
Colour grade: Daniel Witt MoodLab

3D tech lead:
Shawn Miller
3D Printer:
Christopher Langton

Production Design:
Jonathan Chong
Model Painters:
Peter Hanrahan & Jonathan Chong

Post Production:
Dropbear Digital