JANE Helps Brands Make a Splash on a Big Scale

In recent years, out-of-home advertising had understandably taken a back seat while everyone was asked to stay at home and quarantine. Today, with pandemic habits mostly behind us, big billboards and experiential campaigns are back. Leading the way is JANE, a U.S. based post and production studio. 

AT&T Immersive

JANE’s first big screen installation project was somewhat of a trial by fire. “Creatively, we had to define a visual language that connected to the brand, but would also integrate with tons of mixed media sources. The design elements needed to work as transitional pieces that would help direct your eyes and move your vision around the store's various screens, while not overpowering the underlying images. The various media sources needed to be designed and tiled to cover displays as wide as 25k. Compositing at this scale, and making creative choices for such a massive canvas is completely different than a standard 4k frame,” says Nancy Nina Hwang, managing director.

From a technical point of view, this was a huge challenge to tackle as the team had to figure out how to deliver high resolution and “content that is seamlessly synchronised and choreographed across massive video walls, tablets and phones, while also figuring out if there was a pipeline that could actually handle what we needed to deliver,” adds David Parker, co-founder and director. What JANE discovered in the preparatory process was that “an adaptable pipeline that could scale to the highest resolutions possible did not exist.”

Nancy explains: “David had to build a fast and flexible super high-res pipeline that allowed us to perfect a large format workflow so we could work, play back and review at any resolution – all in realtime – and then only break the compositions into smaller pieces for delivery. Ultimately, with this project we were able to deliver 34 unique wall configurations to over 200 stores across the US.”

Oakley

The team at JANE was presented with a first-of-its-kind challenge: a full takeover of New York’s Times Square. “We created a completely immersive audio-visual experience that wrapped around the viewer in 360 degrees in one of the busiest intersections in the world, taking over screens in every direction the eye could see,” says Rich Rama, executive producer and partner. “The sheer scale of the presentation was something to behold - “It felt like we created a truly visceral, captivating experience for the audience,” he adds. 

This was a project where the team felt like everyone learned a lot as the work pushed both their creative and technical capabilities. “On set we filmed actual NFL players and developed techniques to do 360 degree image capture. We had to imagine how the live-action filming would be reimagined in a completely immersive space. Having gone through that experience and seeing how what we shot was later translated to the finished piece, it opens up your mind and imagination to how live-action image capture can be used on these massive canvases. If you’re no longer beholden to what's just directly in front of you - and the viewer's eyes can travel above, around and behind themselves - there are so many fun things that can be done,” says Cole Schreiber, director and partner.

Music was a particular highlight with the team also working on the music and soundscape. “Peter Lauridsen, the composer and sound designer on the project created an epic surround sound environment. What the viewer heard helped guide their vision and added a really emotional and gripping dimension to the experience,” David says.

The Clippers

Every Clippers game starts the same way. The entire stadium goes dark, and the crowd start to roar while a pulsating amp film plays on every screen inside Crypto.com Arena. “The team at Battery and The Clippers organisation wanted to make sure this film felt really iconic: a film that would really connect to the fan experience and identity,” says Nancy. “They wanted to hit home on what the Clippers are all about: hard work, hustle, and toughness, while simultaneously making a film that will get you hyped. Building the in-stadium experience was hugely exciting, because we had the opportunity to rely on our technical experience creating large scale, multi-screen installations but also how to choreograph the screens for dramatic effect.” 

JANE’s vast experience in creating large scale installations and experiences brought Battery through their doors, and the two have a great relationship which they relish building on through collaboration. David adds: “The project was really multifaceted and allowed us to stretch our creative and technical muscles. There was the amp film, but also broadcast spots and traditional billboards that would go all over Los Angeles.” 

Alongside the ‘amp’ film, the team also created 30 and 60-second broadcast spots that step outside the immediate basketball world the Clippers inhabit and showcase how the values of the team are connected to the broader values of the community and fanbase.

Cisco

 

For Cisco, JANE collaborated with Woodblock and got to play not only at a large scale, but also in 3D - a first for the team . “3D billboards are increasingly becoming a fun, interactive way to connect and engage with viewers,” says Cole. “Places like Times Square, or busy Vegas intersections, are crazy and filled with loud, strobing imagery and bright neon lights, so to stand out amongst the crowd a 3D billboard is a fun way to make a mark. These projects were relatively simple and elegant executions, but offer a very effective and nice introduction to an emerging style of work we’d like to do more of. Additionally, they come with a more traditional OOH component to them, using the same branding and visual styles that complimented the 3D billboards, which makes for a strong pairing between emerging technology and traditional advertising,” says Rich.

Apple/Rihanna 

In other projects, JANE returns to their more traditional, visual effects roots when the creative calls for it. Apple’s Super Bowl spots featuring Rihanna were such a project, when the team collaborated on the VFX and finishing touches, ensuring that everything looked as sleek as possible. “We always love working with Apple, it’s very cool to be a part of the work they’re doing,” says Nancy. “We took the broadcast spots, and built set extensions, to create a larger canvas for the films so they could be displayed on expansive video walls in-store. Effectively, we turned a broadcast film into a multi-media, large scale display for Apple.”

As for what’s next, JANE has already finished their latest OOH work for Hyundai which is getting screened all over Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, and everyone at the company is very much looking forward to using their considerable experience to continue and push the boundaries of this emerging creative space.