Seamless Integration: Andy Glass on Realism and CGI in Janssen’s Healthcare Campaign
In this interview, we dive into Andy Glass's photography campaign for Janssen, which targets healthcare professionals in the heart disease field. Andy collaborated with Pop Creative Studio for this project, utilizing CGI to maintain consistency across three different settings—a park, a shopping mall, and a college—ensuring the key visual metaphor was spot-on. We also chat about the hurdles of making CGI environments look real and the meticulous planning required to seamlessly blend live-action with digital elements.
What was the main reason for using CGI in the Janssen campaign?
The primary reason for using CGI was to ensure consistency across the three different settings—park, shopping mall, and college. The campaign's central visual element, the crumbling steps, represented the unseen risks faced by heart disease patients. CGI allowed us to replicate these steps perfectly in each scene, ensuring uniformity and enhancing the overall impact of the message.
How did CGI benefit the overall creative process?
CGI provided complete control over the environments, allowing us to make precise adjustments and align every element perfectly. This control enabled close collaboration with the client and agency from the beginning, ensuring the final product matched the creative vision. It also allowed for quick adaptations based on feedback, which was crucial for this complex project.
What challenges did you encounter while creating the CGI environments?
One significant challenge was making the CGI environments, especially the park, look realistic and natural. Nature is inherently complex and full of intricate details that are hard to replicate digitally. To address this, we added depth of field, atmospherics, and subtle imperfections to the CGI elements to enhance realism. Balancing the precision of CGI with the organic look of real-world environments required meticulous attention to detail.
How did you achieve seamless integration between the CGI and live-action elements?
Achieving seamless integration involved precise planning and execution. We carefully matched camera angles, lighting, and perspective between the CGI backgrounds and live-action shots. Using green screens and accurately measured set pieces ensured perfect alignment in post-production. Additionally, grading, lighting adjustments, and compositing techniques were employed to blend the CGI and live-action elements, creating a cohesive and realistic final image.
What was the significance of the crumbling steps as the campaign’s central visual metaphor?
The crumbling steps served as a powerful metaphor for the sudden and unseen risks heart disease patients face. This imagery was particularly resonant with healthcare professionals, as it visually communicated the fragility and unpredictability of heart disease. By using this strong analogy, the campaign effectively highlighted the importance of proactive care in managing heart disease.