3 INCREDIBLE SPOTS SHOT IN 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS
Client: GEICO / History + A&E + Lifetime
It’s not every project you get to put a man on the moon, elevate feline fashion and get shamed by a talking elephant.
BIG MACHINE met the challenge and delivered 3 incredible GEICO branded spots for History, A&E and Lifetime.
Director Steve Petersen led the entire BIG MACHINE team to shoot the spots over the course of 3 back-to-back-to-back days at 3 different sound stages.
Shooting all 3 spots consecutively allowed us to maximize production efficiency and deliver these spots on-time with exceptional production value.
Now we're breaking down the 4th wall to give you a look at the process of making these spots a reality.
GEICO / A&E: The Elephant In The Room
THE ASK: Bring a talking elephant to life at a swanky cocktail party.
ADVANCED PRODUCTION: The Elephant is 100% CGI + we designed and built a custom loft with glass windows.
FUN FACT: A suspended tennis ball served as the elephant eye-line for the actors during the shoot.
STORYBOARDS:
BEHIND THE SCENES:





VFX BEFORE & AFTER: Bringing a talking elephant to life is a complex endeavor. It begins with detailed planning before the shoot and having experienced VFX supervision on set.
GEICO / History: Moonwalk
THE ASK: Put a man on the moon, moonwalking.
ADVANCED PRODUCTION: We suspended the astronaut with a wire harness + The moon environment is 100% CGI.
FUN FACT: We used real NASA footage, available in the public domain, for several of the shots. Also, Director Steve Petersen is the voice of the astronaut.
STORYBOARDS:
BEHIND THE SCENES:



VFX BREAKDOWN: Putting a man on the moon is no small feat, even when it's done on a soundstage. (No, we're not really comparing what we do to what NASA does.) Take a look at how an dancer on a soundstage is transformed into a legit astronaut through many layers of visual effects.
GEICO / Lifetime: Catwalk
THE ASK: Have cats showcasing feline fashion march down a real fashion catwalk.
ADVANCED PRODUCTION: We started working with our animal actors early on to get them acclimated to the flashing lights of the fashion runway.
FUN FACT: There were multiple animal actors available on the day of the shoot just in case an actor was having a bad day.
STORYBOARDS:
BEHIND THE SCENES:
CREDITS
A+E NETWORKS
Sr. Creative Director: Tom Kaniewski
Sr. Writer / Producer: Chris Hoehn
Sr. Writer / Producer: Charles Barron
Sr. Writer / Producer: Casey Connor
BIG MACHINE
Director: Steve Petersen
Creative Director / VFX Supervisor: Ken Carlson
Executive Producer: Sean Owolo
Live Action Producer: Chad Engel
Post Producer: Crystal Deones
Art Director (Moonwalk) : KA Batcha
VFX Artists: Dennis Shen & Ana Lossada
Interns: Ha Eun Chang & Harut Harutyunyan
Studio Manager: Emma Eckhoff