Disguise brought the power of immersive to SXSW
Brand Experience
Disguise partnered with the Department of Business and Trade to bring a state-of-the-art virtual production studio to SXSW for the very first time. Visitors to the UK House venue at Downright Austin had the opportunity to experience multiple highlights, from travelling the world via motorbike to learning to film their own virtual production commercial. Read more to discover Disguise’s highlights from the show.
ADVenture: an immersive experience
In collaboration with UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) and companies including Chrome, Cube, Experience12, and Preevue, featuring the world's most advanced fully electric motorbike from Arc motorbikes; SXSW attendees were transported from London to the US in just 10 seconds, culminating in the creation of personalized social media content. Over 200 visitors lined up out the door to get their chance to star in their very own commercial.
According to Aisling Conlon, International Trade Director for UK Advertising, "UK Advertising was thrilled to join forces with Disguise, the global leader in real-time visual innovation, for our debut immersive activation at SXSW. Renowned for fostering innovation, creativity, and collaboration, SXSW provided the perfect stage to launch our new campaign ‘UK Advertising Takes You Places’. Guests were transported from London to the US in just 10 seconds, experiencing the exhilaration of the world's most advanced motorbike through stunning visuals, compelling storytelling, and cutting-edge immersive technology—hallmarks of UK Advertising's excellence. Special thanks to Disguise, Preevue, and our esteemed members Chrome, Cube, and Experience 12 for their invaluable support."
Taking you places: the art and science of virtual production
Attendees joining this talk discovered the creative journey behind the making of our sell-out virtual immersive experience, ADventure. Moderated by Disguise Marketing Director Alexandra Coulson, our panel of experts included Chrome Production CEO Joel Mishcon, Preevue Managing Director Ryan Metcalfe and Disguise CXO Alex Wills shared behind-the-scenes insights, challenges overcome, and the innovative techniques used to bring this immersive vision to life.
A whole new world: how cross-reality experiences are broadening horizons for brands
Karl Woolley, Global Head of Immersive at Framestore, and Constance Nuttall, Project Director at Squint Opera spoke on how to design and deliver cross-reality experiences. Both reflected on recent projects including Framestore’s delivery of HBO Max’s immersive “Carries Closet” experience and Squint Opera’s Empire State Building experience.
Some key advice included saving budget for day 2 of opening so you can see how people are interacting with the experience and enhancing it. Also, when creating an experience in the virtual world, don’t just create a like for like - take advantage of the tools and the laws of gravity to elevate the experience.
Expo City explored: how we bought the largest, Guinness record-breaking, interactive canvas to life
Bild Studio’s and MARS Volume’s Chief Commercial Officer Joanna Alpe explored how the real-time content for the famous Al Wasl dome was created, diving into how the team not only built the canvas but made it interactive - allowing VIP dignitaries and global visitors alike to access and control the pixels of immersive content of the dome from an iPad.
Redefining Reality: Harnessing Spatial Computing
The release of the Apple Vision Pro brings a rush of innovation and activity in spatial computing and Web 3.0. With this comes a brand new way to experience entertainment and events. In this panel, Resh Sidhu, Global Director, ARcadia Creative Studio at Snapchat, Evan Helda, Principal Specialist in Spatial Computing at AWS, John Meggitt, CEO at Arcade and Disguise CXO Alex Wills dove into the new storytelling opportunities that await us in another dimension.
How we turned LA’s SoFi Stadium into a virtual ocean
In October 2023, AR technology transformed LA's SoFi Stadium into a virtual ocean for Princess Cruise’s brand activation, making waves in the worlds of sports and brand engagement.
This session explored how this experience was brought to life with key speakers from Snap Inc, the Los Angeles Rams and Disguise.
AI on Set: revolutionising filmmaking in the digital age
A panel of cinematographers, creatives and technologists got together to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can augment the filmmaking process. Together they explored new techniques and technologies such as NeRFs (Neural Radiance Fields), Gaussian Splatting, and AI virtual content-creation tools and how filmmakers are using them today. They explored how AI has been used in projects like a WIRED photoshoot and explored the current opportunities and limitations of the technology.
Mastering real-time content for jaw-dropping experiences
Bild Studios has unleashed the power of life-speed imaging with its conceptual launch film for SONIC DL. Using motion capture technology, combined with advanced multi-layered projection and real-time graphics pipelines, a live, real-time video was created with jaw-dropping visual effects.
David Bajt, co-founder of Bild Studios, explored how they brought this project to life as well as Bild Studio’s range of game-changing mixed reality and live projects.
Virtual Production Accelerator: Advertising Edition
Attendees learned firsthand how a commercial can be filmed using a virtual production studio in a special advertising edition of the Virtual Production Accelerator Course. Disguise CXO Alex Wills led the course, showcasing how the team filmed a tequila commercial using virtual production technologies.
We were pleased to have Disguise as our production partner for UK House at SXSW. UK innovation companies like Disguise are already revolutionizing experiences and creative storytelling across the world and driving new technologies in Web3, spatial computing, and AI. Our venue, UK House, at SXSW gave just a taste of the opportunities out there.
Director, Services and Skills, Department for Business and Trade
Disguise stands at the intersection between technological innovation and creative storytelling, unleashing game-changing possibilities for immersive experiences and entertainment. In our first-ever appearance at SXSW, in partnership with UK House, we were thrilled to offer a glimpse of the same technology that powers Adele’s Las Vegas residency, the NBA’s state-of-the-art LED court for All-Star 2024, Snapchat’s AR integration, and Hollywood blockbuster films to Austin. Together, we explored how to stand out from the crowd, get people talking about your brand, and create the most immersive, engaging concerts, experiences, and films the world has seen.
CXO, Disguise