
Workingstiff Films Director Matt Pittroff Makes 360 Comedic Storytelling a (Virtual) Reality
data-src=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c562aaf4-bpthumb.jpg data-srcset=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c561c0e7-bpfull.jpg 2x class=lazyload avatar avatar-80 photo height=80 width=80 />
Brie Clayton April 15, 2021
0 Comments
A year without trade shows has been a challenging world for B2B companies to navigate, forcing them to continue to pivot in an attempt to be able to host presentations, roll out new products and directly engage with their audience. Royal Building Products , a Westlake company and leading manufacturer of exterior building products and its long standing AOR, Planit, partnered with the detail-oriented comedy director Matt Pittroff to construct an alternate world: a secret and state-of-the-art underground laboratory beneath Royal's headquarters, a place where the comedy is real and the experience is virtual. In the Lab, a series of 360 videos, provides an immersive and entertaining VR experience.
The lab's a place where viewers are in on the experiment and primed to be just as entertained as they are educated on a breadth of products. This new world did not come without its own unique set of challenges for Workingstiff and partners to navigate with the Covid-era production. Questions like, How do you captivate an audience with character-and-product-driven stories from a locked-off camera? as well as, How do you expound from a distance on a product family's many features and benefits? demanded creative solutions.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-1024x550.png alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2408138 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-1024x550.png 1024w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-300x161.png 300w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-768x412.png 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-624x335.png 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-50x27.png 50w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200-100x54.png 100w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15173939/workingstiff1200.png 1200w data-sizes=(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px /> Most of us have been forced to look at our jobs through a different lens over the past year. Not only are the practices different, but so is the messaging. An ever evolving, moving target centered around safety and the prospect of returning to normal? And beyond that, how do you engage people-persons people that are accustomed to eye contact, shaking hands, being on a first name basis and holding a piece of product in their hands? It's a tall order but we love a good challenge, be it narrative or technical or budgetary, or timeline and this project offered it all: Let's make good old-fashioned character driven comedy films, with charming visual effects, in a 360-world without having viewers wander off from the message. Oh, and let's do 20 of them. In three days! Pittroff details.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/15171338/RoyalBuilding.png alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2408123/>The result: a new interface developed to arm sales personnel whose day-to-day work is not traditionally conducted virtually, with an immersive playlist of 20 interactive and impactful edutainment online videos.
Pittroff's team and Planit planned for three months and produced the campaign over the course of a three-day shoot. Constructing a 180-degree set, designed to allow for seamless stitching into a 360 world, a place that has been traditionally leveraged for virtual tours and roller coaster riding captured by flat' sensors and back-to-back fisheye
lenses.
I have told quite a few funny short form stories but never quite this way. The agency wanted to immerse the viewer by way of 360 video, and I wanted to make sure that the viewer kept their eyes on the prize and that the quality of the film supported the brand's innovation. So we imagined our own iteration of 360, using one cine camera, one spherical lens and a ton of fuzzy math. We tested and tweaked, and tested and tweaked until it worked, Pittroff relayed.
Matt and everyone at Working Stiff felt like an extension of our team from the beginning. We had a totally fun yet odd challenge and they made it even smarter and they made it really fun and, better yet, really funny. It was one of the coolest, most innovative things I have ever been a part of and they totally killed it. My creative team was stoked and our clients are super happy and it was just a great experience all around, relayed Liz Norton, Planit Producer.
More from Creative COW
21/03/2026
Studio Technologies Debuts New StudioComm System at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 20, 2026
0 Comments
StudioComm Model 794 Central Controller and Model ...
21/03/2026
Restoration Christian Fellowship Captures Worship Music Videos with PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 20, 2026
0 Comments
PYXIS' open gate provides cre...
20/03/2026
Signiant Showcases New Content Innovations Driving Visibility, Access, and Actio...
20/03/2026
Caffeine Relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for End to End Post Workflow
Brie Clayton March 19, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Cloud helps Mexican post faci...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
17/03/2026
QuickLink's Latest StudioEdge Models to Make North American Debut at NAB 202
Brie Clayton March 16, 2026
0 Comments
The Multi-platform Remote Gues...
17/03/2026
Frankenstein Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 16, 2026
0 Comments
Sonnenfeld enhances the controlled interplay between warm and c...
17/03/2026
New Voyavox from Link Electronics with Real-Time Speech-to-Text Captioning to be...
16/03/2026
ELEMENTS launches GRID at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 15, 2026
0 Comments
North Hall, Booth N1717
ELEMENTS returns to NAB Show 2026, with an exp...
16/03/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Artist Salavat Fidai's Micro Sculptures
Brie Clayton March 15, 2026
0 Comments
6K sensor and open gate capabilit...
16/03/2026
DHD to Introduce Latest Generation Broadcast Audio Mixers at NAB 2026, Las Vegas
Brie Clayton March 15, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image: Front of DHD RM1 P...
14/03/2026
Telestream Advances Production-Ready AI Across Its Product Portfolio
Brie Clayton March 13, 2026
0 Comments
New AI capabilities drive smarter automati...
14/03/2026
Kraken Graded in DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 13, 2026
0 Comments
Senior Colorist Dylan Hopkin delivers the first Scandinavian feature in...
14/03/2026
Tedial Powers the Future of Media Operations at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 13, 2026
0 Comments
Transforming Media Through Intelligence, Flexibil...
13/03/2026
Abandon Editorial Signs With Micha l Dimitri for West Coast Representation
Brie Clayton March 12, 2026
0 Comments
Abandon Editorial is excited to part...
13/03/2026
Documentary The Bulldogs Shot and Edited with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 12, 2026
0 Comments
Editorial tools helped shape film in real time,...
13/03/2026
AE Captions as Fast as CapCut - No Plugins
Graham Quince March 12, 2026
0 Comments
Stop wasting hours clicking through nested compositions and manuall...
12/03/2026
COW Jobs: Editor de V deo - Direct Response, Performance Ads - Brazil, Remote
Brie Clayton March 11, 2026
0 Comments
Editor(a) de V deo (Direct Respon...
12/03/2026
Avatar: Fire and Ash Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 11, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist delivers premium cinematic color across 2D, 3D...
11/03/2026
Foundry releases Nuke 17.0
Brie Clayton March 1, 2026
0 Comments
Native Gaussian Splat support, new 3D system based on USD, expanded machine learning ca...
11/03/2026
Preserving UNESCO World Heritage with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton March 1, 2026
0 Comments
The Explorers turned to France's cultural landmark...
11/03/2026
I Clicked This By Accident And It Made After Effects SO Much Faster
Graham Quince March 1, 2026
0 Comments
Discover how Region of Interest in Adobe A...
11/03/2026
Cine Gear Connect Brings a Focused All-Day Experience to Industry City, NY
Brie Clayton March 4, 2026
0 Comments
Registration is now open for Cine Gea...
11/03/2026
La Vor gine Edited and Finished with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 4, 2026
0 Comments
One of Colombia's most ambitious projects goes g...
11/03/2026
SoundMarket Launches 18,000 Tracks of Real Music by Award-Winning Composers for...
11/03/2026
Capta Center Supports NOVO19 Remote Production with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 5, 2026
0 Comments
The facility provides production and playo...
11/03/2026
DigitalGlue Ends the Post-Production Tax: creative.space Intelligence (CSI) Unif...
11/03/2026
Kochi Sun Sun Uses Blackmagic Replay for High School Volleyball Finals
Brie Clayton March 9, 2026
0 Comments
Versatile Blackmagic Replay system proves...
04/07/2025
Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...
04/07/2025
Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...
04/07/2025
Create Any Planet in After Effects
Graham Quince July 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...
04/07/2025
Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion
Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...
04/07/2025
Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...
04/07/2025
CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton July 3, 2025
0 Comments
Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...
03/07/2025
Chaos Releases V-Ray for Blender
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Production-Proven Renderer V-Ray Arrives Natively in Blender for the First Time;...
03/07/2025
Calvin University Adds Blackmagic Replay to Broadcasts and Streams
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Replay workflow joins 14 Blackmagic Design cam...
01/07/2025
COW Job Listing: Laser Engraved Logo
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
Laser engraved logo
July 3, 2025CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Bl...
01/07/2025
LeGrow.Studio Builds Broadcast Hub for ePro League
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
TEM Constellation HD and BlackmagicURSA Broadcast G2 drive liv...
01/07/2025
Beeble launches SwitchLight 2.0, bringing AI-powered relighting to any footage
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
New AI model delivers full-scene p...
01/07/2025
Steffie Beltt's Mi Amor Music Video Created with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton July 1, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K digital film camera...
30/06/2025
PremiumBeat Tips and Tricks
Brie Clayton June 30, 2025
0 Comments
When editing to impress, you'll need quality music, and if your studio happens t...