Challenge Accepted: Behind the Scenes on Windows 11 Launch Video
Having met while working at Windows, Wild Gravity co-founders Jon Sneider and Jonathan Harris were well placed to handle the brand’s Windows 11 commercial launch video. Initially briefed to draft their work off the consumer video, the team had some quick thinking to do when the consumer version didn’t materialise.
Using their years of experience and personal relationships with the Microsoft Windows team, Wild Gravity were able to turn the commercial video around in less than three weeks to hit the launch date for the brand.
In this interview, Jon and Jonathan reveal how their particular business model and fluency in Microsoft allowed them to achieve the seemingly impossible in challenging circumstances.
LBB> Tell us a little bit about the brief and concept for this spot - what was the client looking for and what were your initial thoughts?
Jon> When we got the brief for the Windows 11 commercial launch video our brief was to draft off the Windows 11 consumer video. We were supposed to make the commercial version of the video the consumer team was making with their giant agency. Well, the consumer version never delivered.
LBB> What was your creative process like? Where did you look for inspiration?
Jonathan> Fortunately, Jonathan and I speak fluent Microsoft, having both worked there, so we had a meeting with the commercial marketing team and said, “Look you have seven scenarios that you’re planning to market and you need to be able to show them off individually and as a whole. We’ll film it here and create a modular launch video for you so that it works holistically as a unified piece but also works if you cut it into bite-size chunks to market specific features.”
LBB> How did you draw upon your broad skill set for this spot?
Jon> Jonathan and I have been developing marketing creative for tech brands for over a decade. We know how to short-cut the process and get right down to the exact asset that a product or brand team is going to need.
We’ve delivered on hundreds of BOMs (Bill of Materials) and delivered tens of thousands of creative assets over the span of our careers, so we know how to hack the process and get right to the exact creative deliverable. Then we execute on that deliverable flawlessly so the client has a world-class asset, in this case a video, in a fraction of the time and budget than any agency can deliver on.
LBB> You have worked with Windows on a number of projects before, how do you find collaborating with them?
Jon> We love collaborative clients, and for that reason we love working with the Windows commercial team. We’ve developed a trust with them at this point so there’s a great rhythm and flow and we truly co-create with them. We like to have live-edit sessions where the clients come in for a day and sit with us and the editor, and we edit on-the-fly with them in the room. It’s a fantastic way to work when you have great client-partners like we have on the Windows team, and also the fastest way to a stellar final product.
LBB> What was the biggest challenge on this project and what solutions did you come up with?
Jonathan> Right off the bat it was the timeline. We had three weeks for a final delivery and the client only just realised that they’ll need a full live shoot to achieve their goals. We were able to deliver on this purely based on our business model and our industry experience.
Inside of a week we had cast the shoot, retained all the Microsoft devices, written the script, and were filming on day ten, which left enough time to properly edit, and more importantly add every single animated UI screen replacement. It was truly a well-oiled machine, and that was really made possible by the deep involvement of the client.
LBB> And what were your personal highlights?
Jonathan> Our Windows 11 launch video ended up being the crown-jewel asset for Windows because the consumer launch video never delivered. Our work was front and centre on windows.com. It felt good to point to that and say, we did that.
LBB> What was the reaction to the finished film?
Jon> I literally don’t think there’s another shop in the country that could have pulled this off. The scripting of the technical scenarios, the live-shoot, plus the VFX/CGI and the screen UI animations, I don’t think another shop could have delivered that in three weeks.
Our clients were beyond thrilled. Executives could not believe we created something of that quality in such a short time-frame.
LBB> Any other creative insights you’d like to share?
Jon> This isn’t unusual for us. Wild Gravity has a bias for making stuff. We can make world-class creative faster and easier than any other shop I’m aware of because we’ve hacked the process and only focus on the stuff that matters.
