VMworld 2021
VMware came to First Person asked us to pitch an idea for their VMworld 2021 conference. Since this was deep into the pandemic it would have to be virtual, and even though we had done work for VMworld in many past year we knew this one would have to be quite different. We saw a lot of virtual conferences and keynotes from companies that year and one thing we immediately wanted to avoid was shooting the entire thing on green screen using a virtual set. With everyone on their screens all day and video conferencing the standard for communication, we didn’t want to ask people to stare at digital environment for a full hour.
Our idea was to create physical stages on VMware’s beautiful Stanford campus and shoot the keynote presentations for their general session in person, without greenscreen, at night. Giant LED panels were build up as backdrop to the stage, allowing the speakers to be transported around the world as their surroundings changed.
CLIENT: VMWARE
STUDIO: FIRST PERSON
ROLE: ART DIRECTION / STAGE DESIGN
The core theme of the show was the convergence of virtual and physical spaces. Throughout the session, elements would move from the physical space in front of the stage into the virtual background displayed on the LED walls.
The stages were designed using the brand’s signature 45 degree angle motif, layers of LED walls, and exposed raw tinder supports. All the elements came together support the ideas of virtualization and physical infrastructure, and create a unique presentation stage for the keynote speakers.
FINAL FRAMES
PROCESS
Below are a mix of design development, style-frames, and exploration.
Mood boards and reference
exposed tinder pavilions
virtual sets and backdrops
colored light and gradients
All the stages were build from the same modular sections that evokes VMware’s brand patterns. Since the mainstage and the sub-stages were shot on different days, it was designed to the pieces from mainstage would resemble to create both sub-stages. This reduced the total pieces that we needed to fabricate, saving on material and transportation cost.
On-Set and Behind the Scene Pictures
On location scout we used augmented reality to preview the stage in the physical space, checking to ensure room for equipment and camera placement.
STUDIO: FIRST PERSON
PRODUCTION COMPANY: REDGATE
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: DREW FIERO
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: AMY MCCAMMON
CREATIVE DIRECTION: NATHAN HACKETT
ART DIRECTION: ELI WOO
DESIGN/ANIMATION: MICAH JORDAN, JANELLE PLASKETT, WESLEY PHUNG