A while back we were approached by a virtual production studio called RecodeXR, who asked us if they could film our Wye Valley Gin bottle. They loved the design and wanted to use it as an example of how a TV advert could be made using their technology.
If you have watched The Mandalorian series on Disney+ you will have seen virtual production in action already, whether you knew it or not. It's a cutting edge, carbon friendly method of producing film content.
It works like this..
Instead of moving an entire production, actors, crew and equipment from location to location, everything is shot in one studio in front of a giant curved screen which displays the scene in realtime. Unlike using a green screen, this allows the actors to perform in a space which looks and feels like a real location and responds to the camera movements. It goes way, way deeper than that of course but this is the gist of it.
So in the case of our Wye Valley Gin ad, the kitchen scene is not filmed in a kitchen and the forest scene is not filmed in a forest. They are both filmed in the same studio.
The benefits of virtual production don't stop there. Compared to traditional filming methods, it's quick, inexpensive, extremely flexible and has a very low carbon impact.
Since the sustainable side of virtual production matched so well with our refill can plans, we jumped at the chance to work with RecodeXR and produce a video to help promote it! So we shipped a bottle of Wye Valley Gin and a prototype refill can off to them in Manchester. A couple of weeks and a minimal amount of back and forth later, this video came back and our jaws hit the floor.
We are so grateful to Paul and Sue from RecodeXR for giving us the opportunity to work with them and make this video. It was a pleasure!
AdGreen published a case study on the Wye Valley Gin advert and the environmental benefits of virtual production. It's well worth a read if you find all of this interesting!
Wye Valley Gin bottles, refill cans and bundles are available here.