Pioneering XR TVC in Singapore

Tristeps Studios is proud to have been the pioneering production house in Singapore to have used the powers of Extended Reality (XR) technology, as seen in The Mandalorian and The Avengers End Game, in this latest commercial with Steigen featuring brand ambassador He Ying Ying.

Concept

In the densely populated and concrete jungle that is Singapore, how does one go about translating the feeling of freshness, calm, and serenity? Locations of endless clear horizons are practically non-existent, and of the few that are available, not one could capture the essence of what our director, Aloysius Ong, was envisioning in his mind; an endless field of swaying pampas basking under the golden hour as the talent, He Ying Ying, brushes her hand across the soft vegetation.

What she stumbles upon in the end is a floating Steigen Solar Pro, which greets her with a cooling breeze with the touch of her finger, and causes a brighter change in the environment. 

With the powers of XR technology and VFX, the team has full control over all aspects of the final commercial’s mood, lighting, and art direction, all crafted exactly to the director’s vision without the whims of uncontrollable outdoor weather.

Pre-Production

Meticulous planning during the pre-production phase was crucial to ensure that the final product looks as convincing as possible. All aspects of production had to be carefully considered in order to keep within the budget and still deliver the director’s intended vision. Open communication from all parties was especially important for this to happen.

Shots 1-6

The key objective was to convey the freshness that Steigen’s automated laundry system can provide. To visually translate this idea, Aloysius imagines the commercial opening with harsher shadows and dramatic lighting to convey a horror-esque vibe. Our talent, Ying Ying, appears in a rugged appearance to further capture the character’s anxiety. These visual cues come together to juxtapose and serve as a build up to the solution that Steigen provides when it appears later in the TVC. 

Shots 7-13

Our talent stumbles upon the floating Steigen and she reaches up to tap the device, thus activating the revitalizing properties and causing a change in the environment. This is achieved by having the colours change to a lighter palette and using softer lights that are visually more pleasant to the eyes. These visual cues reflect the intended emotional product association of freshness that was our key objective.

Shots 13-15

After the transition from shots, 7-13 is complete, these last shots convey an “after-the-rain” feeling where it is clear, airy, and as clean as it can be visually, using bright highlights and light flaring elements, much like a sunglow look, which allows the audience to see the product and talent as clearly as possible, re-emphasising the freshness from Steigen.

The space and set design

Given the high costs of an XR screen, the actual shooting space available was quite limited. Proper planning from our art director Wyna was important to ensure that we would have enough actual pampas to cover almost the whole stage. The layout and measurements of the set design, composed of platforms and planters, had to be precise for the different compositions to be actualized.

Production

Production took place over four days at Anomalyst Studios, with the first three days being crucial for the different departments to set up in preparation for the actual shoot day. Lighting, camera, XR, and art teams needed to work together to ensure that everything was ready to go without mistakes when the time came on the final day.

The first two days were mainly for our XR team and art department to set up. Calibration of the XR space had to be done together with our DOP Hanshen and key grip Malik to ensure the spatial continuity of the screen. 200 pots of grass, 400 stalks of pampas, 25 custom planters, 2 blowers, and 3 industrial fans were set up by the art team to bring the vision of an endless pampas field to life. Platforms were also used to provide height to our talent when she runs through the field of vegetation to create a more obvious focal point of interest. Throughout the shoot, the art department worked together with the XR technology to produce different compositions, shifting the physical set when needed and actualising a realistic environment by providing tactility and depth for the talent and camera.

 Our gaffer William planned out intricate lighting setups with warm colour temperature lights to achieve the intended look of an outdoor sunset environment, further solidifying the illusion of an actual space. For many of the shots, key grip Malik worked closely with DOP Hanshen to rig up the necessary setups for the intended tracking and jib shots, including one where he rigged the Steigen device suspended in mid-air for post production to appear as if it was floating.

Since the VFX was closely incorporated into the character’s actions in this project, our director Aloysius Ong had to be illustrative in his directions to the talent for the end result to be convincing. For example, there were no references for our talent Ying Ying to see what exactly happens in this shot where the VFX of the Steigen motor appears and floats out of her hands. Our director had to communicate with her by using the appropriate words on the day itself to achieve the intended feeling of the delicate qualities that the motor has.

Post-production

The final important phase was post-production, where VFX and colour grading could make or break the entire project. Every detail, from the tiniest ones such as the floating pampas particles, had to interact with our talent’s actions, the physical set, and the XR screen in a physically plausible manner for the TVC to appear immersive and realistic. The finishing touches were colour grading, where the intended development and changes in mood were brought to life.

Experience the project’s conceptualization to the final result with VFX in our BTS below!

Till the next time

Once again, the team at Tristeps Studios is proud to have brought this phenomenal project to fruition, and be one of the first production houses to incorporate XR technology into a TVC in Singapore. We are glad to have brought this project to fruition despite the challenges along the way. Thank you to our team who have made this possible! 

Can’t get enough of this visually stunning TVC? Take a deep dive into the mind of our director and his vision for the project as he breaks down the behind-the-scenes workings in this director’s commentary!

At Tristeps Studios, we weave stories for your brand through powerful visuals and we specialize in Lifestyle, Product, Food Videography, and Photography.

Feel free to contact us if you’re looking to create some stunning visuals today, and head down to our Instagram for more of our works.