“Shooting a high-end commercial involving a cinema robot arm takes extreme coordination, but it all began with a clear plan.”
When the internal production team at Kingston reached out to us about helping them capture dynamic visuals for their latest commercial, we were excited to help bring them to life. We brought together some of the most talented crew members available for the production, the set dec, the camera team, and the entire team was energized to create a unique look for the spot.
The opening shot of the film involved a robot arm with 5 distinct pictures, or key frames, that we wanted to land on, featuring their latest products. The first thing to note about working with cinema robots, is the planning and effort it takes to actually get the device onto the set. With the bohemian loft look we were going for, it was no small task for the team at Pannyhire to lift it into the freight elevator and move it into position.
Set Design
After the arm is in place, we began to dress the set. With 5 different angles in a single shot, we needed to make sure we were designing the background for every direction at once. The overhead angle of the desk and carpet, the close-up details on the desk, and what was behind our actor all needed to be set up together.
Lighting
Lighting for multiple angles at a time makes it difficult to find where to place the lights that would keep them out of frame. We used a combination of natural light, soft fills, and rigging to the ceiling for the majority of the lighting on the Motion control shot. This allowed us to seamlessly move between angles without seeing C-Stands or lights in the background.
Execution
Safety is the first priority, when we started rehearsing the shot, the entire crew needed to clear the frame to actually run the arm. Our talent and stand-ins also needed to maintain their position so that arm can fly all around them without causing bodily harm. After watching the rehearsal, we continued to develop lighting, set dec, and the action. Once we felt confident in the flow of the shot, we started to speed up the arm, eventually arriving at the real-time dynamic pace that you see in the final commercial. No time-ramping needed.
When you watch the finished film, it feels extremely polished with a great flow to it, and that’s no accident. It’s the result of careful planning from the Director, Nick Jones, the Director of Photography, Donald Rubiano, and the editor Stanley Jia.
Kingston as a brand is all-inclusive, their products are prevalent throughout most of the production and post industry, and the way they put their customers as first priority is a mentality that Origin Point constantly strives to embody.
To watch the full film and see the credits, check out our page HERE.
