Case Study

The full range of content for Solid State Logic's new UF1

We got back in the studio with Solid State Logic (SSL) to create more content for the launch of their UF1 DAW Control Centre — a tidy and compact yet powerful piece of hardware.

The challenge, therefore, was certainly focused on getting everything right — for the product photography, stylish and punchy promo and of course the comprehensive seven-part tutorial series.

Photography

Getting those high end product shots

We’ve been working with Loftworks and the results have always been outstanding. We had a recent product launch that went fantastic and part of it was thanks to the quality of their photography and video content. I would definitely recommend them!

Joan Martorell, Senior Marketing at Solid State Logic

For a product that is just A4 paper size, we needed to take high-quality lifestyle shots to capture the UF1 Control Centre, both in isolation and in group shots, to showcase the function and aesthetic of the UF1.

It was important to offer a clean visualisation of the unit, showing it as the focal point in its own environment, yet also illustrating the context of where this product can and should be used.

Walkthrough

A series of very in-depth tutorials

As a single-fader controller, the UF1 offers comprehensive control of most Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs, e.g. Cubase, Ableton, Pro Tools) and it allows the user to work with up to three DAWs simultaneously. This powerful unit has a lot to offer, so there was a lot to pack into these tutorials, across seven DAW videos.

We were sent the scripts prior to shooting so this helped to dictate our shot list, and although some content was shared across the seven tutorials, there was still diversity in what we needed to capture across the videos for the respective DAWs.

For the tutorials, we used a mixture of split screen footage (using screen recordings) pieces to camera and such shots as over the shoulder, to make the instructive process as clear as possible. With an abundance of technical instruction delivered by our presenter Luke, we would navigate and zoom-in on different areas of the mixers and software to support his explanation.

Promo

The short snappy exciting promo video to excite the audience

Considering that the UF1 is such a small unit, there is not an inch of the sleek chassis that is wasted so we tried to capture every slider, knob, button and display.

We took a hybrid approach by using the real footage of the hardware (that we filmed) and motion graphics and even included some of the glossy lifestyle photos.

Upon receiving a script we went to work on how best to visualise the power encased in this impressive unit. For the introduction we tried to create a slight hint of mystery, by lightly scanning over the unit and using faint schematic outlines to gradually pull the UF1 out of the darkness.

We made each display glow and the unit shimmer with subtle light flares and even dropped in a few shots from tutorial screen recordings to highlight more key features. Supported by key information flashing up on the screen, used much like pull quotes, the viewer is taken around the unit element by element.