KPMG

In 2022, we worked with KPMG to create One Blue Marble – a film and global ad campaign, explaining how KPMG are leading by example as experts in the ESG field. It was filmed in a virtual production studio, marking a first for our client and perhaps their entire industry. Making use of Unreal Engine, the production featured a variety of real time 3D backdrops displayed on huge LED walls,  digitally transporting their Head of ESG to a range of awe-inspiring locations. The film was very successful in its purpose, providing a pleasing array of ROIs.

We worked with the client to identify four key topics to cover:

• Decarbonisation
• Transparency & Controls
• Climate & Nature
• Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (IDE)

The outputs were four adverts in various durations and formats. In a similar way to One Blue Marble, the importance of seeing real KPMG people in the films was clear: people’s expertise, in combination with the latest technology, is the way forward for business. This also plays into KPMG’s image of ‘honest, intelligent, approachable’; you’re meeting passionate KPMG people, as opposed to actors.

But how do you make punchy TVCs in this way, without them coming across as just another corporate talking head?

With a clear nod to the previous campaign, we turned to Unreal Engine to help transport our SMEs to far-flung, cinematic locations – each related to their specific ESG topic – without burning a drop of aviation fuel. The guiding visual principle for these CGI locations is ‘Earth’s natural landscapes’, which not only provides the metaphor for each film in a visually impactful way, but also acts as a continual reminder of our beautiful planet that ESG initiatives endeavour to protect.

At the scripting stage, we understood that the films must convey the urgency of the problem in a way that would motivate action within the target demographic, and instil a sense of ‘not getting left behind’. Overall we wanted existing and prospective new clients to understand that KPMG can help them navigate the complex ESG landscape to drive their ESG initiatives forward with confidence, and open up new business opportunities in the process.

The four films act as a suite, each following a similar narrative pattern. We begin by posing a question – for example, in the IDE film, Seeds of Change (which uses a flourishing wild-flower meadow as the metaphor), we ask, “Is your organisation an equitable ecosystem of talent?”. The centrepiece upon which each script is hung is a key statistic that signals how essential ESG is to each particular topic – implying ‘look, this is a no-brainer’.

To align with the project scope, we made the call to film at a green screen studio as opposed to going back to the virtual production stage. There were some advantages to doing so, as follows:

• It was quicker to get to production, with less need to create production-ready CGI in advance of filming.
• We could dial back significantly on the kit and crew required.
• It meant fewer pre-light/filming days.
• There was no need for the scenes to be optimised to play in real time, with the added benefit of allowing Unreal backdrops to be developed to a much higher degree of realism.

There were many elements to factor in with the post-production workflow of these films – Unreal design and animation, camera tracking, keying, compositing, editing, grade, sound design etc. With many files requiring simultaneous collaboration and huge file transfers, we made the decision to take a cloud approach through use of Dropbox and Blackmagic Design Cloud.

Deliverables were in three different durations (30s, 15s and 6s) and two aspect ratios (16:9 and 1:1), with subs and without.