What do You See is all about how great entertainment, sports and series shapes you into who you are. In the third chapter of these commercials, DStv Premium not only brings its subscribers closer to the international stars of their favourite series, but also includes other icons from various genres who’ve been influential throughout the years. In this instalment, Macht is seen projecting the very characters that helped him shape himself into who he is today.
“Bringing the best curated content to viewers is at the heart of what we do. From this view, we wanted to bring this new chapter to life and excite our viewers about our DStv Premium offering. Moreover, we wanted to show our audience how impactful the world’s best entertainment, movies, sports and series can be and how they can only find it on DStv,” says Nomsa Chabeli-Mazibuko, general manager for Marketing at Multichoice South Africa.
The production of this new narrative also sees DStv further entrench its stance to bring the best curated entertainment while being at the forefront of technology.
“To enhance the ultimate viewer experience, we had to take things one step further. We achieved this using a country-first 3D rendering technology in the making of the commercial,” says Greg Gray, who directed the TVC.
He added that 3D scanned film projections was a first for Gabriel Macht and a first for DStv.
“Normally, you’re not allowed to touch or alter the images of stars with iconic status. So it was an exciting opportunity to be able to project the greats onto a great.”
The making of What do You See was in itself a creative conundrum but a thrilling one for the team. Once scanned, a 3D digital double was created, allowing the creative team to work out how the light from each projector would fall onto Gabriel’s face and his body and how it would react or follow the contours as he delivers his monologue.
“We didn’t want to just have a simple overlay or flat projection, it needed to be organic and move with Gabriel as he moved, his jaw, his eyes, how it distorts over his nose… And the results speak for themselves,” says Gray.
“Different well-known personalities accomplish different things for a brand. What makes Gabriel Macht an ideal choice for DStv Premium is his enigmatic persona, conviction of beliefs and his love for great entertainment which aligns with our brand,” Chabeli-Mazibuko concludes