integrated creative productions

Concept

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TJ was asked to produce an international cross-platform campaign for global brand, Citrix Systems, Inc. promoting their server and desktop virtualization technologies. Citrix’s ongoing campaign presents how their streamlined services enable you to store and share information wherever you are from one computer system. 

The project was made up of 12 separate deliverables – six print and six animations and combining the use of both live-action scenes and photography, with CGI content and VFX. Each deliverable also had to cover a multitude of formats, from print to varying sizes of animated web banners.

Scene Blocking

Shoot Production - On Set Direction

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We ran the print and live-action shoot simultaneously to maximize the crew and talents time efficiently and save on unnecessary costs. Our photographer and DOP worked closely to build an identical and constant lighting setup, so the same look and feel could be achieved between the print and motion. The order of the shoot alternated between live-action and photography – once the director was happy with the actor’s movements on the live-action, he was able to simply walk over to the photographic shoot and recreate it, making the photographer’s job much easier and quicker.

Whilst directing on set, we were able to constantly assess the balance between photography, CG and film and confidently troubleshoot any issues whilst gauging any potential impact later in the pipeline. The more complex shots were tackled on day one, so our team had opportunities to test the pipeline properly and reshoot any pick-up shots if needed.

Props

Each shot needed its own ‘place holder’ prop, so that the hand actor had something real to interact with to ensure the actions were convincing.  We didn’t need to invest in elaborate props or set-building. For ‘Virtualization’ we used miniature ropes used in model shipbuilding, with small weights suspended from them to control the movement. Each weight had tracking markers on them so we could accurately match the movement and swing later in CGI.  ‘Crush’ ran in a similar vein; it shows a hand crushing server cabinets and we needed a prop that offered the right level of resistance to the actors grip and act as reference for the creasing and buckling of the server cabinets.  We found that miniature boxes made from chroma-blue card with hard foam inside offered the best results.

We gathered a lot of shots, making full use of our in-house photography studio, to build an extensive library of stills and motion, saving the client money and time in case of future work – which transpired the following year.

CGI Production and Animation

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As always with larger productions, the key is in the planning. From the storyboards provided at concept stage, we created 3D animatics to take on set as important visual references for the actor to mimic the movements of and match the timings. The ‘Virtualization’ (puppet master) sequence required very precise actions, with fingers dropping and lifting in a specific order to prioritise how the CGI assets entered frame and to also fit within the format of multiple banner crops.

Post-Production

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In the final stages, it was over to our retouch team, where they worked their magic to refine some of the raw 3D images by carefully balancing and refining tones, adding further texture and lighting effects. With all of our services held in-house, we have the flexibility to adapt to unforeseen situations, and we’re always looking to find the most cost-effective and best-looking route for the client by being able to offer a variety of production services spanning across print and motion. We were also able to keep the quality consistent giving us the flexibility to really push the creative and continually develop ideas with the agency that otherwise would have been restricted.

Testimonial

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“The animation and still images created brought to life the sense of simplicity and power these ads were meant to convey.  Both the web and print media have produced great results for our client.  Working with the teams through postings, tight email communication and phone conversations proved to be no obstacle to creating great work in spite of the time zone differences.”

Melinda Estey, Vice President, Young & Rubican