In search for a shoot location, Director Rafael Fernandez and his production company, Reverie, stumbled upon an exceptional site just outside Vancouver – the Britannia Mine. This hidden gem proved to be an ideal filming location that closely resembled the weathered industrial ambiance of Knowhere in the Marvel films. 

Framestore’s Vancouver Film and Chicago Interactive Advertising teams collaborated alongside DDB Chicago to create the dynamic spot that perfectly captures the essence of the film.

Framestore's Vancouver studio played a pivotal role in the creation of the spot by providing a meticulously lit and rendered Groot asset. With this asset at their disposal, the IA team was able to seamlessly blend all the elements together to create a visually stunning result that perfectly complemented the film. 

To ensure the success of Groot's performance, the Vancouver team pre-animated dance loops that were then seamlessly integrated into Framestore's mobile AR solution, enabling the team to visualize Groot's performance on location with utmost precision. By doing so, they could design Groot's movements to fit perfectly within the set boundaries and provided all stakeholders with a concrete idea of what to expect in the final product.

The team optimized their workflow by employing hand-held lidar for set surveys, providing the CG artists with precise and reliable layout information as soon as the shoot concluded. This also allowed for some valuable lead time while awaiting the edit approval before VFX work commenced. This forward-thinking approach helped make the most of the limited time available, resulting in a seamless integration of live-action footage and CG elements.

The final color grade was completed by Sofie Borup at Company 3 in New York.