Brompton technology recently helped NantStudios and Impossible Objects deliver a cutting-edge commercial concept for electric vehicle maker, Polestar. Learn more in this story.
Impossible Objects is a creative studio and world-building lab combining artists and engineers specializing in virtual production for commercial projects and original IP. Founded by Joe Sill and Jerad Anderson, Impossible Objects is working to define the future of film and entertainment by embracing real-time technology to blend the physical and digital worlds. The company has established key relationships and partnerships across film, gaming, and technology. It has built innovative projects and workflows with clients, including Blizzard, Google Play, Western Digital, Honda, and Toyota.
Having worked with numerous clients in various settings, Impossible Objects’ preferred LED stage partner is NantStudios – a leading service provider of cutting-edge Virtual Production and Visual Effects stages. NantStudios’ 24,000 square foot LED stage, powered by Unreal Engine in El Segundo, California, houses some of the industry’s most advanced and established technology, including Brompton’s Tessera SX40 LED processors, ROE Visual’s Black Pearl BP2 LED panels, and Carbon CB3 LED panels.
Driving to the Future
Impossible Objects has filmed several projects at NantStudios recently, including an automotive demo film for the Polestar 2 electric vehicle, which was created to convey the potential of virtual production to automotive marketers. A driver heads out of town, taking her Polestar 2 through the city and into the distant mountains, with the light and reflections changing throughout to match the surrounding environment and time of day. All the backgrounds were created in Unreal Engine and shot on the NantStudios volume, with Brompton’s processors helping to maximize the performance from the LED panels.
“With each production at NantStudios, we can rely on their experienced team and the outstanding visual performance enabled by Brompton processing to deliver exemplary results,” says Joe Sill, founder and director at Impossible Objects.
“Especially for automotive projects, we aim for a seamless photoreal look, and Brompton helps us deliver that. With the Polestar shoot, we came in with our environments. With Brompton’s Dynamic Calibration technology and the 3D LUT feature, we could see our footage in the camera exactly as we had built it in Unreal Engine. We were delighted with those results.”
The Brompton Advantage
Luc Delamare, Impossible Objects’ head of technology and virtual production supervisor, adds, “Brompton’s extended bit depth was also a huge benefit on the Polestar project, as we had a lot of ambient light and reflections that all needed to be accurate. The added precision you get with extended bit depth, especially on the low-end brightness levels, makes a significant difference compared to what we’ve seen previously.”
The added precision you get with extended bit depth, especially on the low-end brightness levels, makes a significant difference compared to what we’ve seen previously.
Luc Delamare, Impossible Objects’ head of technology.
The Polestar project was a success, enabling everyone involved in the production to understand both the creative and sustainability impacts of virtual production. The ability to film multiple environments from the same set made production much more streamlined and efficient while reducing travel’s financial and environmental costs.
“What we were able to achieve on this project, thanks to virtual production innovations, has energized the automotive advertisers,” notes Sill. “It opens a new world of creative possibilities while achieving greater sustainability in the production process – critical to electric vehicle makers like Polestar.”
To learn more, please visit www.bromptontech.com.
