Virtual Reality

Reel FX and Leo Burnett Team up on VR Live Action for GMC – Smart Homes for Injured Veterans

Written by Reel FX

The commercial and VR divisions of Golden Globe-nominated digital studio Reel FXand its director Elliot Dillman, teamed up with Leo Burnett out of Detroit, for client GMC on a live-action and virtual reality production. In honor of Military Appreciation Month, and as part of the ongoing relationship between veteran support program Building for America’s Bravest, GMC’s #enlistme campaign launched on May 20, 2016. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness and donations in support of the over 200 injured service members waiting for life-changing smart homes.

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Stephen Valyou

The campaign features unique content pieces centered on the moving stories of two severely injured veterans who took an amazing leap in the form of a skydive, and invited viewers to come along for the ride virtually on May 21 through a Facebook 360 video, and other impactful content introduced by actor, Josh Duhamel. He was enlisted by GMC as campaign ambassador, and accompanied veterans SSG Stephen Valyou and Cpl. Todd Love as they prepared to surmount their disabilities and take a monumental jump to support injured service members waiting for life-changing smart homes – their jump represents the independence that these homes can bring to the lives of injured service members.

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SSG Stephen Valyou, Cpl. Todd Love and Josh Duhamel

The campaign includes four :30 second teaser videos (“Todd”, “Stephen”, “Prep” and “Anticipation”), a :60 featurette (“The Jump”), plus a :90 virtual reality skydive experience entitled “GMC #enlistme 360 Skydive”. Since launch the video has garnered over 8.3MM views.

Reel FX handled both the traditional live-action and 360° content pieces “soup-to-nuts” including all elements of production and post-production from its Dallas headquarters.

Shot in Perris, California, Reel FX director Elliot Dillman made two jumps prior to the shoot to ensure that the jump day was a success. The team shot the five pieces over four separate jumps, utilizing multiple cameras to capture the footage for both the live action video pieces (Shot on a RED Dragon) and the 360° video shot with custom GoPro rigs. The :90 360° video experience allows viewers to virtually experience the jump alongside the veterans, also taking in immersive views of the moments leading up to the jump and the triumphant landing.

Watch jump below…

https://youtu.be/Vp_3mHNuwi0

Reel FX Credits:

Client – GMC

Agency – Leo Burnett Detroit

Director – Elliot Dillman

Head of Production – Jim Riche

General Manager – Commercial – David Bates

General Manager- VR & Interactive – Steve Nix

Editor (Live-Action pieces) – Greg Sunmark

Editor (360 Content) – Quan Tran

Executive Producer – Live Action – Steve Johnson

Executive Producer – Virtual Reality – Taylor Williams

Senior Producer – Marcie Teague

Production Manager – Rachel Bradley

Director of Photography – Samuel Brownfield

Aerial Director of Photography – Craig O’Brien

VFX Artists – Laychin Lee, Dan Margules

Stitching Supervisor – Lyn Caudle

Lead Stitching Artist – Matt Stocks

Stitching Artists – Shannon Walsh, Kelsey Craig, Doug Hogan, Jessica Hogan

Stitching Technical Directors – Ryan Hartsell, Dylan Rogers

Audio Engineer – Frank Pittenger

Editorial Assistant – Steven Happel

Production Coordinator – Julia Gibson

 

 

About the author

Reel FX

About Reel FX
Reel FX develops and produces award-winning animated films, virtual reality experiences, mobile/interactive content, live-venue projects, and commercials. Based out of Dallas, Texas and Santa Monica, California, the company has over 23 years of experience working with studio partners like Fox, Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation and Universal Studios as well as national advertising agencies and global brands. In 2010, Reel FX announced the launch of its feature film banner, Reel FX Animation Studios. Its slate includes the Golden Globe-nominated The Book of Life with 20th Century Fox and Free Birds with Relativity Media. The two films have grossed a combined $210 million worldwide. Multiple feature-length animated projects are currently in development. Reel FX Commercial, the studio’s turn-key short-form division, crafts a variety of broadcast and digital content, music videos and themed attractions. The studio’s newest division, Reel FX VR, launched in 2014 and has already developed dozens of world-class VR interactive activations and 360º narrative content for innovative brands, such as 20th Century Fox, Acura, American Express, AT&T, Frito-Lay, GE, GMC, Hilton, Legendary Pictures, Lionsgate, Porsche, Samsung, and the U.S. Air Force, and for all leading VR headset platforms including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR and Cardboard.