Commercials & Advertising
Scanning that keeps pace with a commercial shoot. Sets, slates, cast, props and locations captured as 3D data between setups and delivered within days, for Untold Studios, Framestore, Passion Pictures, ETC and The Mill.
3D data that keeps pace with the shoot
Commercial shoots move fast, so our scanning has to fit around the camera, not the other way round. We capture sets, locations, props, vehicles and cast as accurate 3D data for the VFX team, often between camera setups, and deliver within days of the shoot.
A LiDAR scan can take as little as 30 seconds, so we can record each camera setup and its reference geometry without holding up the floor. For productions with animated characters, we scan every slate, locking down camera and lighting positions against the set so the post team can place characters accurately.
We have worked with VFX houses including Untold Studios, Framestore, Passion Pictures, ETC and The Mill, with our friends at Passion Pictures for more than 15 years.
What we capture
- Sets and locationsLiDAR and photogrammetry, from the ground and the air.
- Slates and setupsCamera and lighting positions recorded against the set geometry.
- Cast and animalsDigital doubles in our cyber rig, or with a handheld Artec Leo on location.
- Props and vehiclesHero objects scanned on set or in our prop booths.
- Movement4D capture with time-of-flight sensors, motion capture and multi-camera performance rigs.
Commercials we have worked on
Times shown are how quickly we delivered the processed scan data to the VFX team after the shoot.
Volvo XC90
Framestore and New-Land
To show the safest Volvo ever made through the eyes of its Safe Space sensors, we built a portable 4D rig of ten time-of-flight sensors. Reconfigurable capture zones, from a kiss to a full sprint, let us record every movement in a single day without hiring a volumetric studio. LiDAR and photogrammetry of the locations aligned the 4D characters to the plates.
Coors Light
Untold Studios
Landscapes, props and cast in the snow of Slovenia and Austria. The trickiest subjects were four horses, scanned on location with a handheld Artec Leo as movement reference for the digital bears. Back in our studio we rescanned the partygoers at higher resolution in our cyber rig.
Read the case study
Compare the Market
Passion Pictures
For the arrival of Carl the Wombat, we recorded every camera and lighting position against the set so the animated characters sit exactly in the shot. We also scanned the furniture, crockery and a gramophone the meerkats interact with.
Aviva
Untold Studios
Fully textured digital streetscapes of northern towns, captured by drone, camera and laser scanner in busy streets. The scans became the base for the Rubik’s Cube style transformations that carry Aviva’s message.
Coca-Cola
ETC
Ordinary interiors and props captured in detail with LiDAR and photogrammetry, then turned by the artists into comic-book worlds for a superhero campaign. The same assets are ready for Unreal Engine and virtual production.
Virgin Media
Untold Studios
On location in South Africa, we worked with local drone crews who shot the plates while we flew aerial photogrammetry of the landscape. The textured terrain was used for camera tracking and full CG in the Goat Glider advert.
Ladbrokes
ETC
Hundreds of digital drummers build the tension of a crucial penalty inside a fully CG stadium. With limited time on site, we combined LiDAR and photogrammetry to recreate a photoreal Theatre of Dreams for the crowd simulation.
John Lewis
Untold Studios
A medieval village digitised for Excitable Edgar, one of the most anticipated Christmas adverts of the year.
Read the case study
Free Fire
Passion Pictures
Cristiano Ronaldo cyber scanned for his stylised integration into the game and its campaign.
Read the case studyWhat the VFX team receives
Behind every spot is the scan data we hand over: textured environments, digital doubles, props and movement, ready for tracking, layout and full CG.
How we work on commercials
Between setups
Quick LiDAR scans capture each camera setup and its reference geometry while the floor resets.
Every slate
For character-led spots, we record camera and lighting positions in every slate against the set.
Cast and animals
Handheld scans on location when time or space is tight, and full digital doubles in our cyber rig.
Collect once
We capture data-rich from the start, so wide areas and detailed selects come from one visit, with fewer return trips.
Techniques we bring to the set
4D and movement capture
Our portable 4D rigs record motion and detailed performances without a volumetric studio. On Volvo XC90, capture zones were set up for small, medium, large and extra-large movements and reconfigured quickly between takes.
- Time-of-flight sensor rigs
- Motion capture
- Genlocked 21-camera performance capture rig
- Kinect capture rig
Slate scanning
Animated characters like the Compare the Market meerkats need to sit perfectly in live action. Our high-speed laser scanning method records every camera and lighting position in every slate against the set, without slowing the shoot.
We work with the art department and the VFX team on set to pick out the props, food and vehicles the characters touch, and scan those too.
Digital doubles on location
When the cast or animals cannot come to the rig, we bring a handheld Artec Leo: battery powered, with a built-in screen, and usable almost anywhere. For full CG replacement, we follow up with our cross-polarised cyber rig.
Stadiums and busy locations
Stadiums are vast, busy and rarely available twice. We plan every position so the ground stays open to visitors, and combine laser scanners on the terraces with drones overhead, so nobody needs to set foot on the pitch.
Our enhanced CAA and EASA drone permissions let us fly within 10 m of uninvolved people and in EU member states.
Read more about environment scanning, object scanning and on-set VFX support.
Other notable adverts
Burberry (The Mill) · Sky F1 (Untold) · Coke (Golden Wolf) · Migros (Passion Pictures) · Marshalls (Untold) · Getir (Outsider TV) · Sky Glass (Untold) · Danone (Outsider TV) · AFK Arena (Untold) · Hargreaves Lansdown (Untold) · MoneySuperMarket (Untold) · Chanel (Psycho) · Pepsi (Sauvage) · Specsavers (Friend) · PlayStation (Untold) · ITV Hub (Private Island) · Audemars Piguet (Psycho)
Ready to Brief Us?
Tell us about the spot, the locations and the shoot dates. We will come back with the right capture plan and crew to fit around your schedule. No obligation, no spreadsheet to fill in.