Aspect: Open Gate 6.5k Resolution
Camera:  Imax, Alexa 65, 24fps
Shooting Aspect Ratio: 2:1
Lens: Vault XL 65: 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 80mm, 100mm, 150mm, 300mm 
Location: South Afria, Cape Town, Brickfield Kalbaskraal, Grabouw
Stock: ARRIRAW

This Branding Trailer is essentially a love letter to cinema. The original concept was simple—a manifesto, really. The agency initially envisioned using stills, mostly due to budget constraints, but somehow, we managed to pull off a full shoot over three incredibly challenging days in Cape Town. Everyone was so passionate about the project that we all worked tirelessly to bring the vision to life.

The idea was to playfully explore different film genres, paying homage to some of the greatest films ever made—from epic war dramas like Saving Private Ryan to the poetic beauty of Days of Heaven. MAX generously donated their camera, making this the first commercial to ever use that technology.

With almost no budget or time, we only had one or two takes for each shot. Despite the limitations, I'm stoked with the look and feel we achieved. If we had more time, I would’ve loved to add a deeper narrative. But given that the entire budget was what some productions would spend just on catering, we made it work with pure passion and creativity.

All the costumes had to be sourced and modified on the fly. We had limited time and money, so we had to adapt whatever we could find. Even Harszard, the hero character at the end, ended up being much simpler than my initial designs. But in the end, that simplicity added to the charm and authenticity of the project. It actually made the process more exciting—no second-guessing, no hesitations—just a clear “yes, go, do it.”.

I was unsure that the car explosion would end up looking too small, so I opted for a test.

Thankfully, the effects team nailed it. Next, we needed a location, and amazingly enough, we found the perfect spot—a motorway overpass in the middle of the city that had never been finished. Somehow, we even managed to get permission to blow it up there, right in the heart of a bustling city. Pulling this off, in such an unlikely location, was such a thrill.

I was all about doing everything in-camera, and the special effects team totally got on board with that vision. They were amazing at keeping everything safe.

Their dedication to practical effects made the whole project feel so much more authentic. Watching their expertise in action was truly inspiring and reminded me why in-camera effects can be so impactful.

Big kids playing war games. The focus was on planning where to place the SFX, how the camera would move, and figuring out the gear and art needed. Given the limited time and takes, we only had a few shots to get it right.

Quentin Chong trained Joanna Zhao for the Chinese fight scene. Despite being an absolute warrior, Quentin is one of the kindest, raddest dudes you'll ever meet. He helped Joanna pick up the choreography super fast, even with the limited time we had. He didn’t just train her—he also played the warrior in the opening scene with the boy.

The astronaut suit we hired from the USA turned up late—literally 30 minutes before the shoot—and it was just okay. Not exactly what we hoped for, but we had to roll with it. I made a mistake setting up a green screen; in hindsight, I should have shot it against black. To create a zero-gravity effect, I put him on a turntable, which worked okay for some shots, but it really didn’t hold up for the wide shots in post.

So, I ended up modeling, rigging, and animating him in Cinema 4D, rendering with Arnold for the wide shots. For the close-ups, I even replaced his helmet digitally to get it right. It was a ton of extra work, but it came pretty good in the end.

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Credits
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Client: Imax
VP, Head of Creative Services:  Debi Struzan


Agency: Mistress, Santa Monica, LA
Executive Creative Director / Partner: Damien Eley
Associate Creative Director:
Lixaida Lorenzo
Copywriter: Adam Wagner
Project Manager: Iman Forde
Producer: Dave Horowitz
Brand Manager: Maggie Cadigan

Director: Ash Bolland

Production Company: Interrogate
Managing Director: Jeff Miller
Executive Producer: George Meekrer
Producer: Tara Riddell
Director of Photography: Lachlan Milne

Editor: Andy McGraw / Cartel
Assistant Editor: Vanessa Yuille
Head of Production: Meagen Carroll/ Cartel
Executive Producer: Lauren Bleiweiss/ Cartel

Cast
Young Boy Warrior: Matt Ashwell
Field. Woman: Chloe Hirschman
Astronaut: Texas Battle
Female Warrior: Joanna Zhuona
Male Warrior: Quentin Chong
Forest / Young Girl: Mika Behrman
Space General: Tanya van
Robotics tech: Vaneshran Arumugam
Superhero: Martin Munro
Action Hero: Nathan Jones
WW2 Soldier: Martin Munro
Man in Doorway: Martin Munro

Stunts:
Armando de Leca
Ciprian Florian
David Davadoss
Ian Williamson
Shawn van Zyl
Rafeal Wazniak
Vernon Willemse
Jean de la Querra
Hein de Vries
Duy Panovic
Robyn Muller
Nathan Wheatley
Deville van Niekerk
Francois Groeneweld
Gary Joshua
Alwyn Marx
Slobo Pavonic

Production Company: Gatehouse
Executive Producer Beverley Wynne 
Producer Torben Bülbring
Production Manager Laila Shrand 
Production Coordinator Kim Fowler
Unit Manager: Anil Rinquest
Casting Director: Benedicte

Art Director Tom Olive
Wardrobe Stylist:  Reza Levy 
Wardrobe Assistant: Kristy Little

1st Assistant Director Tony Teixeira
2nd Assistant Director Jaco Nel
Script Supervisor Robyn Aronstam

Focus Puller: Neil Baillie
Focus Puller: Paul Painting
Loader: Stefanie Voss
VTO: Aubrey Pasha
DIT: Nigel Tompkins
Data Wrangler: Jamie Williams

Wardrobe Stylist:  Reza Levy 
Wardrobe Assistant: Kristy Little

Key Make-Up & Hair: Carla Fourie
Make-Up Assistant: Roxanne Boehme 

Art Director Tom Olive
Props Assistant: Sarah Mattheyse
Props Standby: Philip Roberts

2nd Camera Focus Puller: Paul Painting
Grip Assistant: Mafika Masombuka
Stunt Coordinator: Grant Powell

Truck Driver:  Dunia Shukara 
Truck Driver: Roger Alcide 
Swing Gang: Khangalani
Swing Gang: Subusiso Sbu 
Swing Gang: Debachi Fabrice
Swing Gang: Sahoura Priva 
Swing Gang:  Chris Kongola

Location Scout Johan van Huyssteen
Unit / Location Manager: Anil Rinquest
Unit Manager: George Kastrinos
Unit Assistant: Rudy Fernandes
Unit Assistant: Michael Rinquest

Sound Mixer: Conrad Kuhne 
Boom Swinger: Ian Arrow

Key Grip: Ari Stavrinos 
Best Boy: Lawrence Nepfumbada
Assistant Grip: Richard Fankam 
Assistant Grip: Mafika Masombuka 
Assistant Grip: King Masengere

Gaffer: Clint Stone
Best Boy: Travers Randall
Spark: Sydwell Maguma 
Spark: Liam Drake
Spark:  Leonard da Cambra
Spark: Patrick Mahanuke
Generator Op:  Bantu Bahke

Stunt Coordinator: Leander Lacey
Stunt Coordinator: Grant Powell
Head Rigger: Craig Fox 
Rigger: Daniel Fourie
Rigger: Matthew Kleynhans

SFX: Gravitron
SFX Coordinator?: Kobus Verhoef 
SFX Pyrotechnician: Michael Mostert 
SFX Technician: Heinrich Botes 
SFX Technician: Franklin Tasung
SFX Technician: Julius Etah
SFX Technician: Norman Kamaso
SFX Technician: Gabriel Tipuki
SFX Technician:  Fred Banda 

Dialogue Coach: Emily Child 
Chaperone: Enzo de Waal
Client /Agency Chaperone: Lee Woodburne
Office PA: Ziyaad Solomon
On Set PA: Ronald Hoskins
On Set PA: Jamil Jacobs
Medic: Uwe Auer
Catering Team Leader: Sam Moro
Craft Team Leader: Sally Pependuko
Behind The Scenes: JJ Harris
Child Minder: Tam Lindeque

Post Production: ​Framestore London
VFX Producer: Christopher Gray
VFX Supervisor: Leonardo Costa
FX TD: Tim Jenkinson
Animation: Joseph Kane
Compositors: Jack Fisher, Matthew Thomas, Saruta Pisanwalerd, Pedro Sabrosa, Ben Cronin, Vanessa Duquesnay, Sherrine Byfield
Paint & Roto: Elise Smulova, Sam Curtis, Kane Herd
Heiro: Lawrence Glew
Flame: Tim Greenwood / Tri Do
Labs: Tom Lewis, Matthew McHugo
Colourist: Simon Bourne

Extra Post Production: ​Umeric
Space Scene
Robot Scene
Laser Battle

Score: Joel Douek
Sound Facility: Formosa
Supervising Sound Editor: Per Hallberg
1st Assistant Sound Editor: Philip D. Morrill
Sound Designers: Ann Scibelli, Peter Staubli, D. Chris Smith
Sound FX Recordist: Charlie Campagna
Sound Editorial: Formosa

IMAX - END LOGO ANIMATION

Production : The Mill (LA)
Creative Director : Ilya V. Abulkhanov
Art Director/ Motion Graphics Lead: Woosung Kang
Motion Graphics : Taehoon Park, Blake Fawley, Nick Scarcella, Joakim Ekström

Producer : Holly Dyroff

Special Thanks
Debi at Imax