BBC x NOMINT

To launch BBC's coverage of Milano Cortina 2026, we combined fire, an element that is notoriously uncontrollable, with stop-motion, a technique that demands absolute control. Two opposites, held in a single frame, to make something that had never been made before.

Through an ambitious creative partnership, NOMINT and BBC Creative set out to reimagine how the Winter Olympic Games could be brought to life, transforming the intensity, courage, and elemental power of the athletes into a visual experience unlike anything seen before.

Led by NOMINT’s co-founder and Creative Director Yannis Konstantinidis, we created a stop-motion film built around a bold idea: to capture the luminous force of world-class athletes blazing across the frozen landscapes of the Dolomites. Shot frame by frame using seven hundred individually 3D-printed figures and fourteen controlled combustion techniques, the production embraced unpredictability and craft in equal measure, pushing the limits of what stop-motion can achieve.

Reception

The film promoted the coverage and then served as the broadcast titles for the BBC's most-watched Winter Olympic Games on record. BBC Sport reported 83 million streams, 26.3 million TV viewers, and 235 million social-coverage views across the Games, with YouTube views up 390% on Beijing 2022.

Trade press response was immediate. The Drum named it Ad of the Day. System1 made it Ad of the Week and rated it 3.6 stars on Test Your Ad, significantly above the 2.7-star category average for TV and streaming commercials. Ad Age called it a "triumph of non-AI filmmaking." David Reviews praised a film "elemental and elegant in equal measure." LBBOnline, Shots, Campaign, Creative Review, NewscastStudio, Televisual, Broadcast and Stop Motion Magazine all carried dedicated features.

Behind the Scenes

Yannis Konstantinidis, co-founder and creative 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 and outrageous effort in both sport and 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.”