Underwriter's Lab - Safety Science Brought to Life
Volumetric Capture, UI/UX visualizations and animations, live-action in 2 locations featuring a cast of 30 talent and a crew of over 20 production and post pros. Oh my.
Credits
Client Engaged Media
Studio Launch Media
Creative Engaged Media
Director Wes Kennison
Copywriter/Storyboard Sophie Goodgion
DOP Dave Coner
Line Producer Deirdre Peterson
Post-Supervisor/Editor Wes Kennison
3D Artists Ryan Golden, Lyon Graulty
Designer Phijodo
Animators Ryan Golden, Toby Garrow, Dimitri Bouskos
Overview
For this project, I collaborated with Launch and Engaged Media to Direct a video for an international corporate client in the Safety Science industry. The video announced their new office space equipped with AR-enabled workspaces. We tackled a complex vision involving UI/UX design, VFX, live-action hologram captures, and extensive pre-visualization.
The core challenge was visualizing a highly technical concept that hadn’t been fully built yet. To manage this, we used a “loose to tight” approach—adapting daily and sharpening it up as we went.
Approach
Previs
We started with a storyboard based on the client’s script, evolving it as details became clearer. Working closely with a storyboard artist, we developed UI designs that anchored the video, driving character actions, shot blocking, and setting the tone for time and place.
Production
San Francisco
Production in San Francisco happened on Microsoft’s Mixed Reality capture studio.
It was an absolute joy to work with this team, this studio is the hub for Microsoft’s MR capture technology, there are only 7 stages on the planet where this type of work is happening. Essentially there are 53 footage cameras and 53 Infrared Cameras capturing a fully 360 degree field of view on a subject. This information is then used to create a 3D mesh that can be treated like any other 3D mesh in terms of lighting and texturing. The result is an incredibly humanistic 3D rendering of a live action performance.
Chicago
Our two-day shoot in Chicago included aerials, A-roll, and scenes with over 20 featured extras. Day 2 culminated in a large group shot for a unique integration of a hologram within a live-action scene.
Post-Production
This project’s post-production pipeline brought together multiple elements for a seamless final product. Here’s a closer look at the details:
Source Material
We combined various source materials to create an immersive experience:
- Holograms: Captured in volumetric detail on Microsoft’s MR stage in San Francisco, using 106 cameras to produce humanistic 3D models of live performances.
- 3D Renders: Included both objects and architectural spaces to visualize the AR-enabled workspace.
- Live-Action Footage: Shot on location in Chicago, with green screen scenes, aerials, and a cast of over 20 extras, creating dynamic content that integrated smoothly with the holograms.
Treatments
We applied unique treatments to each type of source material:
- Holograms: Used as both presenters and interactive characters composited into live-action scenes.
- 3D Architecture PreVis: Developed several architectural shots to showcase the workspace’s AR features.
- 3D Objects: Represented the new capabilities in virtual space for real-time product safety visualization.
- UI Elements: Designed multiple interactive UI concepts, animating them to create the illusion of real-time interaction.
- Location Integration: Directed talent in Chicago to interact naturally with virtual elements, enhancing the authenticity of the final visual experience.