You're in with Scotiabank

Advancements in technology have been both a boon and a deep cause for concern for commercial filmmakers and the agencies who employ them.

No question the proliferation of inexpensive high end video cameras, cinema-grade lighting and edit suites has already democratised spot production. And not always for the better. But somehow the latest brainchild, AI, feels different. Is it though?

Past “tech revolutions” have started in the hands of technologists only to be adopted by creatives as the tools simplified. The result was the ability to produce work unimaginable even a few years earlier. This is exactly what director Matty Manhire and his collaborators at Impossible Studios and agency Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership pulled off for client Scotiabank. Manhire is represented by established upstart 34North in the US.

“I thought it would be ideal to have an opening drone shot of Scotia Bank arena and the CN tower before nose diving through the streets of Toronto, through the front window and down the aisle of a city bus, and landing on our Hero. Yeah, it’s a little ambitious,” Manhire jokes. “My EP Marco was quick to remind me of the permitting, liability and insurance requirements we would need to accomplish the shot practically. And this wasn’t the only creative I wanted to push!”

Scotiabank – MLSE Scotiabank (DC)

Credits

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Agency Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership/Toronto
Production Company Impossible Studios
Director Matty Manhire

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Credits

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Agency Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership/Toronto
Production Company Impossible Studios
Director Matty Manhire
Executive Producer Marco D' Angelo
Copywriter Sameer Nasrawi

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The team at Maple Leaf Sports was also fretting the logistics. As copywriter Sameer Nasrawi explains, “It’s not unusual for a director to pitch pie in the sky ideas, not knowing client restrictions, like the limited availability of ScotiaBank Arena or gaining access to the Toronto Maple Leafs team room. But as Matty started to outline how he would combine practical locations, like the bus interior, with an XR wall and AI mixed media, it started to sound much more achievable.”

Nasrawi continues, “The most exciting part for me, aside from the huge budgetary benefits, is the seemingly endless creative potential. Matty’s approach removed traditional creative boundaries of physical locations so you’re free to go wherever your imagination takes you. It’s really exciting.”

So how exactly, did the team pull this off? “We looked at a couple of solutions and landed on screen recording Google Maps and injecting that into AI software to both create broadcast-quality imagery and add the First Person View drone feeling,” Matty adds.

“Once we were done tweaking the initial fly-over, we turned our attention to the bus. The exterior was a 3D model from the Unreal Engine marketplace; the interior was shot practically on stage. For the other shots that would have been logistically problematic, like the Arena interiors, we incorporated an XR wall into our bag of tricks.”

Nasrawi sums up the agency experience, “Fully embrace the possibilities of XR and AI. Don’t think in terms of what’s practical, think in terms of what you truly want to create. Then, test this melding of live action production and tech to tell stories. You’ll be surprised at what’s possible!”