Edge Theory Labs is an innovative luxury wellness brand that’s revolutionizing the way people approach cold therapy. The company emerged from a shared vision to make cold water immersion accessible, portable, and effective for high performers seeking to enhance their physical and mental well-being.
As part of their expansion, Edge Theory Labs was launching an app designed to complement their products and enhance user experience. However, with the app still in development, the team faced a challenge: they needed a launch video that would showcase the app’s functionality, but the final interface wouldn’t be ready for several weeks.
They approached us with a unique solution: creating a video that highlighted the app’s key features, while ensuring the final user interface seamlessly integrated with the footage—despite the app still being in its design phase. Given the tight timeline and the app’s evolving nature, we knew that combining traditional filming with VFX would be essential to make sure the launch video accurately represented the finished product. We filmed the live-action footage ahead of the app’s completion, and later used VFX to insert the final interface into the video, aligning it perfectly with the client’s vision.
Services: Creative Direction, , Production, Post-Production: Color & VFX
Challenge
The primary challenge was to create a video that showcased the app’s user interface, even though the app wasn’t fully developed at the time of filming. The team needed to film the launch video weeks before the final version of the app would be ready, so we had to work around the gap in development while ensuring the final video accurately represented the app’s functionality.Outcome
Our solution blended live-action footage with VFX to make sure that the final app interface was seamlessly inserted into the video. We filmed all the live-action shots ahead of time, using careful choreography to simulate the app’s features. Then, in post-production, we used VFX to integrate the app interface, matching lighting, angles, and interactions to ensure the final video was realistic and cohesive with the app’s design.
THE GOAL
The goal was to capture the essence of the app's features and convey its value to users, while maintaining flexibility in the production process to account for the evolving design. Ultimately, they sought a high-quality, dynamic video that would not only introduce their new app but also set the stage for its official launch.
THE FINAL VIDEO
THE CHALLENGE
The primary challenge was to create a video that showcased the app’s user interface, even though the app wasn’t fully developed at the time of filming. The team needed to film the launch video weeks before the final version of the app would be ready, so we had to work around the gap in development while ensuring the final video accurately represented the app’s functionality.
THE Pre-Production
The pre-production phase for this project required meticulous planning and coordination. Since the app was still in development at the time of filming, we had to approach the shoot with a dual focus: some shots would feature the app’s interface directly, while others wouldn’t. This meant carefully mapping out which scenes would showcase the app and which would require us to adapt and film without it.
We worked closely with the Edge Theory Labs team to understand the app’s key features and functionality, so we could creatively plan for its integration during post-production. For the shots involving the app, we had to ensure the framing, lighting, and actor interactions would be flexible enough to accommodate the VFX work later on. For the non-app shots, we focused on capturing the mood and energy that the brand wanted to convey, using dynamic visuals to complement the overall tone of the video.
The team had to stay agile, as the app was still being refined, but the goal was always to craft a compelling narrative that would eventually marry seamlessly with the final app interface. This foresight in pre-production was crucial for ensuring the final video flowed smoothly, even as the app’s design continued to evolve.
Post-Production: VFX & Color
Post-production was where the magic truly happened. Given the nature of the project, the VFX work was a critical component, and it required precise planning to ensure that the app’s interface would seamlessly integrate into the footage. We encountered a mix of straightforward and challenging scenarios. Some shots involved the phone screen being fully visible and unobstructed, which made the VFX work relatively easy. However, many scenes presented a unique challenge: parts of the screen were obscured by fingers, palms, or even the actor’s body. These moments required a more nuanced approach to VFX, where we had to build the app’s interface around these obstructions, making sure it appeared natural and seamlessly embedded into the action. Even the animations of the interactions between the actors and the app, had to be created.
As a professional colorist, I understand that sometimes the VFX work isn’t fully complete until the comping process is finished. Once the interface was fully integrated, I went to work to ensure that the final visuals were cohesive. This often meant adjusting the edges of the VFX elements, refining the color balance, and ensuring that the lighting and environment matched perfectly. Color correction is key to making sure everything blends together, and I carefully matched the colors of the app interface with the surrounding footage to maintain a consistent, realistic look.
In some cases, this meant doing subtle fixes to ensure the app felt part of the real-world environment rather than something artificially inserted. A good colorist can fine-tune the visual elements after comping is complete, ensuring that every detail is aligned, and the overall result is polished, professional, and immersive.
The Solution
Our solution blended live-action footage with VFX to make sure that the final app interface was seamlessly inserted into the video. We filmed all the live-action shots ahead of time, using careful choreography to simulate the app’s features. Then, in post-production, we used VFX to integrate the app interface, matching lighting, angles, and interactions to ensure the final video was realistic and cohesive with the app’s design.
THE Results
The final product was a dynamic and polished video that showcased Edge Theory Labs’ new app, accurately reflecting the user experience, even though the app was still in development. By combining traditional filming with VFX, we were able to create a visually compelling piece that aligned with the app’s finished interface, all while respecting the tight timeline.
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