250th Anniversary Video
The Battle of Sullivan’s Island
The victory over the Royal Navy and British Army at Sullivan’s Island in 1776 was one of the first decisive victories of the Revolutionary War. South Carolina 250 turned to Wide Awake Films to create a new presentation on this battle in time for its 250th anniversary.
The Wide Awake Films team faced many unique challenges with this great new project. This great patriot victory in Charleston Harbor is unlike any other Revolutionary War battle. In addition to recreating scenes from the famous palmetto fort, our team had to create sophisticated VFX shots, 3D warships, animated maps, and a host of other visuals to capture the nature of this battle, which is commemorated each year in South Carolina as Carolina Day.
Molly Fortune, CEO, South Carolina 250
“Working with Wide Awake Films on the Battle of Sullivan’s Island project was an extraordinary collaboration. Their team brought history to life with a creative vision that honors both the gravity and the spirit of the events that unfolded there. Through thoughtful storytelling and immersive design, they helped illuminate South Carolina’s pivotal role in America’s fight for independence—making this history accessible, compelling, and deeply human.”
Pre-Production: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island
After conducting extensive research on this battle, aided by some of the region’s leading historians, we developed a script that guided our process. From the script, we developed a set of live-action storyboards that helped shape our film plan. These storyboards helped us determine the placement of green screens and how to capture the action we needed for this film.
Live Action Recreations: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island
Armed with our storyboards and script, Wide Awake Films developed a detailed film plan to ensure that our shoots in the Charleston area were productive and efficient. Wide Awake Films worked with leading living history groups to create the historical impressions we needed for this 1776 battle outside of Charleston, South Carolina.
VFX and Animation: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island
In addition to the creation of our signature “animated maps”, we also needed to develop a set of naval scenes that required us to build and employ 3D models of Royal Navy warships.
Scenes from The Battle of Sullivan’s Island
A Great Project Requires a Great Team
The 250th Anniversary