In order to highlight the power of Vizcom’s groundbreaking AI tools, filmmaker Reza Bird crafted a 60-second commercial illustrating how the platform can assist designers in making tangible products. This marked our third collaboration with the tech startup since May. It’s been a great fit for everyone involved, considering Reza and his studio, NXT ANIMAL, focus heavily on tech and design.
Vizcom’s initial pitch started simple: show people how the platform works through screen capture. Thankfully, Reza saw the opportunity to make something unique and sold them on the concept that we have today. Hopefully this is one of many instances where AI and its proliferation creates jobs and opportunities instead of the opposite. This all strikes at the core of Vizcom: they are human and artist-focused. The platform aims to help artists—not replace them—and grants them full ownership of their creations.
The video highlights their 3D feature, which is revolutionary for designers because it transforms concepts from 2D to 3D right away, saving them valuable time. It enables them to see different iterations from the earliest stages of their work and illustrate ideas quickly. Similar technology will surely enter the filmmaking world.
While our previous gigs over the last two years have been doc-style, consisting of interviews and b-roll, this marked our first commercial collaboration. To set it apart visually and raise the bar, Reza insisted that we upgrade to my ARRI Alexa 35 package.
Manufacturing a bespoke chair posed unique challenges for our abbreviated timeline. There were snags: it had to be 3D printed a second time with design changes. Vizcom needed this content for their product launch event on September 18th. Working with an optimist like Reza has its benefits—few people have the fortitude to take such a big swing with a looming deadline. Great news finally landed mid-day on Friday, September 13th: the chair would arrive the next day so we could shoot on Sunday.
Reza and our motion designer, Drew Lewis, did an amazing job on such a tight deadline. They only had 48 hours to finish before the YouTube launch. Unfortunately, because of the initial time crunch, we had no time for color correction. While the changes are subtle, I’m grateful they both re-opened their project files to update the archival version for Vimeo. Considering the ad’s slogan is “Make it real,” having accurate skin tones and taking advantage of ARRI’s new REVEAL Color Science is essential. For comparison, here’s that first video.
We stayed pretty close to Reza’s original storyboards, which meant we didn’t have many setups for our production day at FD Photo Studios (Art 1) downtown. I feared our hours would be extended by the cat not cooperating, but Reza’s wife and producing partner, Sara, kept the feline calm on set along with their son, Daniel. While it took numerous takes, Lilly gave a great performance.
We spent a good chunk of the morning finding the perfect frame for the money shot: the push-in on the chair. After lots of tweaking, we left the slider in position, marked the chair, and waited for the perfect light. While the sun moved into place, we captured the rest of our shot list—the overheads of the notepad and tablet, along with close-ups of the cat, balloon, and scrap of wood.
I encourage you to try Vizcom for free right here.
Model: Delaney Santos
Cat: Lilly
Production Studio: NXT ANIMAL
Creative Director: Reza Bird
Executive Producer: Emil Lukas
Producer: Sara Bird
Script: Emil Lukas, Reza Bird, Nicolas de Peyer
Cinematographer: Dustin Pearlman
Gaffer: Chad Harrell
Editing: Reza Bird
Motion Design: Drew Lewis, Black Canvas Production
Sound Design: Travis Devin
Colorist: Diego Petrusky
Chair Design: Emil Lukas, Nicolas de Peyer
Chair Production: Haddy Life