For the Bike Festival in Riva del Garda, we had to come up with social ads. We immediately thought about bike-themed fake out-of-homes. FOOHs are very effective at catching viewers' attention, so we began exploring ideas.
Together with the client, we decided on two main assets: the event's water bottle and a bike wheel — both in their GIGANTIC versions!
The ideas were clear, and we were ready to start. Unfortunately, it was way too soon! It was December, and the mood and lighting weren’t exactly right.
No problem — more time for location scouting and tests!
Once we found the right spots, proper production began. The shooting was done on a smartphone, as we had to convey the feeling that the footage was taken by a random tourist visiting the city.
The first video was shot by the lakeside, with a beautiful view of the coast. We had to add a huge bike wheel, as if it were a Ferris wheel towering over the lake. In the second video, we replaced the Apponale Tower in the city square with the festival’s water bottle.
When it comes to CG integration, it all starts with capturing the camera movement. If the shot is still, you can just add the 3D models to the scene.
But if it's not… you gotta track it first!
The satisfaction of watching a 3D model "locked in place" inside a moving shot is always worth the time spent tracking it. We quickly set up a basic scene to capture the contact shadows of the integrated element, and with a projection from view and a rough UV layout, we got the main light reflections on the models.
With a bit of compositing, we had all the pieces we needed to render the final video.