We recently had an opportunity to blow expectations right out of the water, and we wanted to share it with you via a production CASE STUDY.
THE ASK
We got a call at Cobalt HQ from the in-house marketing agency at LG on a Wednesday. You know LG – an international conglomerate that makes everything from TVs, dishwashers, cooktops, monitors, washing machines, vacuums… And so much more.
They had an urgent request: The marketing group was meeting with LG’s CEO of North American operations the following week on a Thursday… and they needed our help.
LG wanted to explore the suitability of Virtual Production (VP) for their entire line of products. They wanted to know if VP was a methodology that would retain their world class style and amazing production value while saving them money in the long term. Would this keep them from having to build, and hold over practical sets every time they wanted to shoot this year? Would Virtual Production obviate the need for cast, crew and clients to travel to disparate locations? All common questions…
The CEO was skeptical that Virtual Production would be able to produce photorealistic results in an abbreviated timeline. Saving money was one thing, but if the work looked fake, then of course, he wasn’t concerned about how much money was saved.
Naturally, we were up for the challenge. One week to make a huge impression on a massive global company at the highest levels? No big deal.
THE SOLUTION
The first thing we did was strategize an impactful approach. We know CEOs are busy, so we decided to take one of their products, create a way to showcase it, and then rewind the film to show them exactly how we did it… all in one neat little package.
The Weekend: We spent the weekend concepting, hiring talent, and assembling the team.
Monday: In the morning, we picked up a vacuum cleaner at a big box store. Then we designed the virtual set comprised of 3 different rooms.
Check out: Unreal Marketplace.
Tuesday (the Pre-Light): We laid flooring, positioned practical props within the virtual set, mounted our camera to our dana dolly, created garbage mattes, and rehearsed. Meanwhile, we pulled together wardrobe, ordered lighting equipment, and all the things you’d typically do over the course of a prep week. After recording a few rehearsals, we were all set to shoot.
Wednesday: While we did shoot through lunch, we were able to nail the spot in just 8 takes i.e half a day… The talent and crew we assembled were out of this world, and naturally, our co-directing team was pretty great, too!
THE RESULTS
Less than a week. It took our production studio less than a week to shoot a dynamic spot that was going to show off Virtual Production for the CEO of LG North America Operations.
By now you’re probably wondering how it was received?Well, it was a smash. The time-pressed CEO was so WOWED, he didn’t think twice. He green lit 12 commercials with our studio on the spot…
YES, YOU CAN deliver an astounding project, quickly and effortlessly, while saving significant production costs.
PLEASE NOTE:
The video you just saw was a direct output from Cobalt’s Mo-sys system. All LIVE composited at 4K.
Call us to discuss!
Learn about Virtual Productionand how to use it?
Cobalt’s got you covered. As the first company to offer Virtual Sets on the East Coast, we have the experience to guide you. Let’s have some fun 😉