ODD (Office of Development & Design) has released new direct-to-client work for cable provider Bright House Networks with a spot featuring extensive special effects to promote the company’s whole-house network solution.
“Echo” opens on a home at twilight, coming alive as various household devices are connected by beautifully structured waves of Wi-Fi signals that dance, twist and turn throughout the cozy dwelling. The work emphasizes the improved signal strength and consistent bandwidth available to Bright House customers.
“We designed, modeled, lit, textured & rendered everything you see in the house”, overviews Matthew Turke, Head of Production at ODD. “Because we were conceptualizing an unknown visual entity such as Wi-Fi, it was important that every detail within the house be honest and realistic in order for this to be completely believable."
Gary Breslin, Director and Creative Director for ODD had the unique challenge of designing visual Wi-Fi after Bright House approached asking for help creating distinctive visual concepts for the spot: “It’s hard to find new ways to talk about technology because there are so many players in the market,” explains Justin Glorieux, Bright House Director of Creative Production. “We needed a new, interesting and captivating visual solution that best represented our technology.”
Breslin went to work brainstorming how to best visually signify the company’s latest technology – and soon became enticed by the look and feel of various weather “The impetus from Bright House was to think where Wi-Fi is in your home, how it appears and then to develop a specific look for that,” Breslin explains. “I examined weather patterns and liked how they connected, repelled and twisted around each other so wanted the Wi-Fi to feel that way in the spot.”
Breslin then worked with programmers to code specific behaviors and make it happen. “We knew the spot had to look attractive in a technological way,” he continues. “It also needed to be ownable for the client in terms of branding for this spot and any subsequent work.”
The decision to make a completely CG house was also a positive for Glorieux. Breslin created the entire house from the ground up, examining architectural blueprints to create a hybrid outline before adding furniture and items such as magazines, cups, computers, lights, bookcases and more:
“This way you control the environment without having to incur extra production costs,” notes Glorieux on the move. “This also maximized resources because the money ends up on the screen.”
“We did not want the Wi-Fi to feel turbulent or aggressive so were very careful to show it as graceful,” adds Breslin on visual and audio elements. “We also used the look of bioluminescent organisms as reference to keep everything calm and beautiful.”
“For client-direct work you can’t ask for better collaborative partners,” wraps Glorieux on the experience working with ODD. “They understand our brand and, in doing so, delivered an exceptional solution that visualizes the technology in a very compelling way. We couldn’t have asked for more.”