How Virtual Production Brought This Loyalty Programme to Life
An urban, residential street corner. A vehicle parked amongst tall buildings. A streetscape passing by, viewed from the backseat of a car. All of these are prominent locations in AIR MILES’ latest spot, and, believe it or not, all of these were created using virtual production.
It’s a bold, but valid move. After all, if the goal of the brand’s new ‘Air Everything’ campaign is to showcase how opportunities to redeem air miles are available on almost all purchases, which in turn leads to the ability to travel, showcasing seemingly different locations across the country would be imperative. And, for Lifelong Crush, this display of technology was the only way to accomplish this. Facing a limited budget and time demands, Unreal Engine would prove the only viable option for creating authentic backdrops that, while they would take viewers on a trip across the country, could be entirely created from the comfort of the agency’s Toronto office.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with the team from Lifelong Crush, including strategy Savannah Onofrey, creative director Julie Martinson, and producer Demi Veselinovic, as well as AIR MILES’ head of marketing, Katherine Carl-Musson to learn more.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Savannah> AIR MILES wanted to enhance its brand perception among cardholders to combat and stand out among the highly competitive loyalty program category. We discovered that with all the ways to earn miles, it was possible to literally get miles on almost everything, which no other loyalty program could offer.
Katherine> To this end, Lifelong Crush was the perfect agency for the job. Not only was working with them an amazing experience, but we loved that the platform was unexpected for our brand - helping reinforce that it’s not your parents’ loyalty program - and would truly reflect the depth and breadth of the brand’s coalition.
Julie> Immediately, we knew we wanted to focus on how collecting miles can be a life hack for everything. That led us to the idea that anything can be turned into miles, which, in turn, led us to the idea that you can AIR almost everything.
LBB> At what point in the creative process did you know you wanted to use virtual production? And why was this the right choice for the final spot?
Demi> The choice to use virtual production was both a creative and production solution. From the start, we knew we had a big challenge ahead, wanting to showcase the relevance of AIR MILES to people across Canada. But, our budget could only cover a single day shoot… with no travel. So, We brought our production team and director in early on to help find solutions, and virtual production was the right fit. Not only did it allow us to represent multiple cities and shoot in one day, but it also alleviated our concerns about shooting outside in January.
LBB> How does one plan a virtual production campaign? Does the process significantly differ from writing a traditional spot? And as a whole, what was the writing process like?
Julie> Writing for this spot started the same way as for any traditional ad, but having brought our director (Matt Manhire) in early, we were able to help craft and shape the script and storyboard together, and subsequently collaborate on selling this vision to the AIR MILES team.
Demi> Planning a virtual production campaign is just like planning any in-person shoot, believe it or not! The biggest difference was location and scouting. To keep costs lean, we searched pre-existing, purchasable environments from Unreal Engine - essentially location scouting in the Unreal marketplace.
In doing so, we were able to take virtual walk-throughs of each environment and select places that looked like the cities we wanted to shoot in - all of which we could then customise with purchasable props and by tweaking elements like colour and architecture.
We were even able to determine the time of day using this production solution, so in truth, it was actually way more efficient than traditional production.
LBB> Speaking of Matt, what made him the right director for the job?
Julie> We’ve worked with Matt and the 5’7” Films team before on a Nescafe spot, and our teams collaborated really well together, so there was already a level of trust and respect. Specifically, we love Matt’s ability and willingness to collaborate and approach production strategically when timelines and budgets are a challenge.
Beyond this, we also knew he is a great directing talent, so he really checked all the boxes. And, because of this established trust, it was easy for Matt to come in early and integrate with the team. That’s why we were so comfortable trying a new production solution, because the trust, respect and shared admiration were already there. Crushworthy talent and a crushworthy team!
LBB> Had you previously worked with virtual production before? And how did that impact the way you worked here?
Demi> This was the first time Lifelong Crush had used virtual production! We knew Matt was one of the experts in virtual production in Toronto, and we really trusted him with our vision. Since this was a new way of working, we really relied on Matt to educate our team and walk us through every step of the process, and we couldn’t have done it without his patience and expertise.
By the end, we were confident about selling this, and were able to get the AIR MILES team excited about the shoot, even though they had never used virtual production before either.
Matt and producer Adam Rodness made sure there were no surprises along the way, and truly made it feel like any traditional shoot. They kept the lines of communication open and were patient with any questions we had. It was truly a collaborative effort across all teams.
LBB> What parts of the final spot were accomplished using virtual production, versus using real, casted actors and locations? And what was the shooting process like?
Demi> All of the environments were virtual. In fact, it was one of the first fully virtual commercial productions in Canada at the time, when it was shot back in January.
The only not virtual things were some of the props: the car, lampposts and suitcase.
Oh, and the actors - they were 100% real!
We shot this on set, in-studio at 2D House in Etobicoke. Creative, production and clients were on set, just like any other shoot. We had a video village, and the location images were being projected and looked real on the monitor.
The difference was we had a much smaller footprint with half the crew. We also didn’t require trailers out on the street, generators running, or big set pieces to move in and out, since most of it was virtual.
LBB> The drink spill is super funny, but also looks really authentic. How did you capture this particular scene?
Demi> We only had three outfits from wardrobe, so we knew we had few chances to get it right. Other than working with our talent to rehearse, the crew (led by Vinit Borrison, our DOP) went to work to make sure the shot was set up the right way. As such, what they decided to do was actually remove a seat from the car to get close to the action and get the shot in a way that felt authentic, but also didn’t intrude on the action. Luckily, we nailed the shot within three takes!
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LBB> What was the post process like? Who did you work with, and how did it all come together?
Demi> Our very own in-house editor, Chris Stewart, edited the spot for us. We invited him in early to talk to Matt about transitions, making sure we got the whips on camera. We only had 15 seconds to tell a lot of story, so we had to get from one scene to the next as quickly as possible.
Matt has also been working closely with the team at Alter Ego for a few years now on virtual production, so they were excited to come on board to work on this spot, and they also helped educate us in the process.
We had to have our plates (environments) and colour approved before going to set, which was a collaborative team effort. This made our transfer way easier than if we had shot this traditionally though, because colourist Eric Whipp from Alter Ego was actually on set and involved during the shoot. so he had all the knowledge, tech and information to control and change the lighting before we even got to set. You can’t make the sun hotter in real life, or keep it in one place for eight hours!
LBB> What lessons have you learned from this experience?
Demi> Virtual production isn’t scary! It also can be used practically and economically, and is a much more sustainable way to shoot.
If you’re doing it, bring your production team in early - even before you go to the client to sell the idea. Because our creative team worked with our director to shape the script and idea, the solutions we got were even stronger in an open and collaborative environment.
Katherine> To be open-minded in the approach to solving problems and developing work. We had real considerations on how to produce this given the timing and weather we had, so we took a chance with virtual production. Needless to say, we’re proud of the result!
LBB> How does this campaign fit into AIR MILES’ brand plans for 2023 and beyond?
Katherine> AIR MILES is on a transformational journey right now. Having been one of Canada’s top loyalty rewards programs for the last 30+ years, we’re excited to be evolving and improving the value we bring to Canadians.
‘Air Everything’ is reflective of this transformation - it’s a fresh take on our brand, and drives the breakthrough we’re looking to achieve with consumers and their perception of us. It challenges what Canadians think they know about the program, and reminds them of the value it can bring to their lives. There are lots of other exciting initiatives and campaigns to come that will continue to push this sentiment forward throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond.
LBB> Is there an aspect of the project that you’re especially proud of?
Demi> The seamless collaboration between all different teams. It’s the Lifelong Crush way of doing things; to bring people into consult and collaborate as one unified team. This is just one example of what can happen when you lay it all out and come together, striving for the same goal.
Katherine> Ultimately, we’re excited to be pushing the envelope when it comes to Canadians’ expectations of our brand. ‘Air Everything’ is unexpected and, truthfully, it’s a departure from where we came from. We’ve continued to build out our coalition to include retailers of all sizes, including local small businesses, and this campaign brings that to life. This is all being complemented with a strong push around comprehension, and ensuring collectors understand what’s available to them and how to get the most out of the program. We’re confident that this will be our recipe for success as we look forward.
