Shot in Cape Town, the film leans into a product-first approach while elevating it through striking visuals, controlled pacing, and a carefully constructed relationship between man and machine.
At the heart of the project was a clear shift in direction, both creatively and strategically.
“The first brief was actually quite open,” says director Alexis Odiowei. “The client shared a number of automotive references and wanted something sleek, with a stronger focus on the product itself. Previously, we’d leaned more into lifestyle storytelling, but this time the direction was very much product-first, almost like a car commercial.”
That pivot set the tone for the entire production. By reframing the Luba 3 as a piece of high-performance technology rather than a purely functional tool, the Vantage Pictures team were able to build a more elevated visual language around it.
“Once we locked into that direction, it gave the whole team clarity,” adds producer James Duong. “Every decision, from locations to camera movement was reinforcing the same idea.”
While the initial concept didn’t include a human presence, the final film introduces a single, composed lead character, a decision that became central to the storytelling.
“I felt introducing one strong character would create a better contrast,” Odiowei explains. “It gave us a way to represent the target audience and build a relationship between human and machine.”
Rather than acting as a traditional protagonist, the character functions more as a visual counterpart to the product, his movements, stillness, and perspective echoing the machine’s precision and control.
“There’s almost a ‘man and machine’ dynamic running through it,” he adds. “That rhythm was something we thought about quite early on.”
“Without that human presence, it risked feeling too abstract,” says Duong. “The character gives the audience a way in.”
One of the key creative challenges was transforming a highly functional product into something aspirational.
“A big part of it was finding that synergy between the character and the machine,” says Odiowei. “That helped elevate it beyond just function.”
The team also leaned heavily into abstract 3D sequences to reinforce that shift, particularly in the opening moments, where the product is introduced in a more stylised, almost sci-fi environment.
“That gave it a sense of innovation and scale,” he continues. “It helped position it as something more advanced.”
“There was a really tight collaboration between live-action and 3D from early on,” says Duong. “That’s what made it feel cohesive rather than two separate layers.”
With control and precision at the core of the product, those ideas needed to be expressed visually rather than explained.
“The visual language was built around power, control, and forward-looking technology,” Odiowei explains. “We used cinematic 3D breakdowns to express that, almost deconstructing the product in a way that feels visual rather than technical.”
Despite its cinematic tone, the film remains grounded in product functionality, something the team were careful to preserve.
“The client didn’t want it to feel like a straight product intro,” says Odiowei. “So we focused on showing rather than telling.”
“You still get all the features,” adds Duong. “But they’re embedded in a more cinematic experience.”
To give the Luba 3 a stronger on-screen identity, the team approached it less like a household device and more like a vehicle.
“We got very low to the ground to make it feel big and important,” says Odiowei. “And we treated it almost like a car, using dynamic camera moves.”
Odiowei added: “Most of my work leans more towards comedy, so it was nice to move into something more serious and cinematic.”
“I’m most proud of how the live-action and 3D came together.”
