Wasted Explainer
First project for Shadow Estate was an online commercial for a waste management app. The app itself is a smart product that solves a niche problem few know about. We wanted to give them a video that brings excitement to the product.
Elevating Cardboard
We created a miniature city street while getting years worth of old boxes out of our house.
Harry took the creative director's seat on this one, choosing cardboard for the medium. It was both a blessing and a curse to work with, but the end results were right on target.
City Planning
We created a miniature city street while getting years worth of old boxes out of our house.
A lot of work went into planning the layout. We were only filming from a few set directions, so the facides only work from a few angles. The trick was keeping them modular so they could be rearranged and still work.
Camera Tests
We did several different camera tests working with a variety of options. Above you can see the proxy model for the CGI truck being placed for scale, tests done with the Kinect, and our mudular set layout. For lighting we used Hue lights--a quick and easy way to change from dusk to early morning.
VFX Breakdown
Here is a quick look at how we built the CGI for the opening scene, and a list of highlights from our process:
- Practical stage elements in After Effects
- Animated in Maya and modeled in Modo
- CGI elements scanned in from cardboard proxies
- Theta 360° camera provided HDRI lighting
- Money particle animations created in Modo
- App-controlled Phillips Hue lighting rigs
- Additional practical lighting effects added in After Effects