Heads of State

Client: Amazon MGM Studios

Idris Elba and John Cena are reunited in Heads of State, a throwback action-comedy directed by Ilya Naishuller for Amazon MGM Studios. We delivered a range of bespoke screen graphics and visual elements across multiple sequences: the Surveillance Van, News Channel segments, Ilyushin radar systems, cockpit instruments, and a speech-recognition suitcase. Each asset blended narrative function with cinematic visual sophistication.

Facial Surveillance: Mi6 Agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra) and her team in Spain attempt to track down Viktor Gradov using facial surveillance technology to identify him among lookalikes at the La Tomatina festival.

Presidential Limo: The American President's limousine "The Beast" takes centre stage during a high-octane chase through Trieste. We designed the navigation UI and central control panel accessible to passengers.

Ilyushin Aircraft: The instruments and digital UI were designed with a more industrial, rugged Cold War aesthetic to emphasise its use as military and weapons transport.

News Graphics: Air Force One is shot down over Belarus. We designed realistic TV news graphics resembling BBC and ABC News to ground the action in present day reality, including Smart TV UI for contemporary authenticity.

ECHELON Surveillance: Elizabeth Kirk (Carla Gugino) uses voice and retina authorisation to reboot the encrypted ECHELON global surveillance system. We matched her vocal performance to an audio wave graphic to accurately depict her interaction with the system.