North by Southeast: The Grid helps Canadian production company with confidential game launch
The office park’s tree-lined parking lot is mostly empty, and the north wing of the building is cleared out. Even the constant whir of the AC is absent - a decision made well in advance of this muggy Friday in late April.
This morning, the usual comings and goings of the Red Storm office in Cary, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, are replaced with the hustle of The Grid’s video production crew.
They haul cameras past the enormous statue of Aguilar that dominates the lobby, the iconic character of the video game Assassin’s Creed, as they march down the long hallway to the rec room. The space is full of old-school arcade games, a pool table, and the office kitchen, all dormant for the moment.
They push the foosball table to the side as the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window facing the treetops of the parking lot fills with bright sunlight. The lighting kit is assembled into a much-discussed set up meant to keep the shot from blowing out as they film right into that big ass window.
“How’s that?” Cleveland turns on the lights and calls through his face mask to Kyle, who stands behind the camera monitor.
The shot’s framing is lovely with its dynamic background, but it comes with its technical challenges. No matter - they have time to get the lighting just right
And that - like the silenced AC - was by design. This shoot is weeks in the making, meticulously planned over Zoom and across international borders, for one day of filming. Because today needs to go perfectly. There will be no reshoots.
Meet Benoit
Back in March and up in Canada, Benoit Vermandel faced a novel problem.
His Montreal-based video production company Famille & Co. was in the midst of a new project with their long-time client Ubisoft. One of the premier video game developers in the world, Ubisoft often works with Benoit and his team to create video content to accompany their big game launches.
So there was nothing new about this project except one thing. A key interview they needed to wrap shooting was with the community developer working at Ubisoft’s studio Red Storm - the birthplace of the Tom Clancy’s video game series - located in North Carolina.
Under normal circumstances, Famille & Co. would pack up a crew and head south to get the footage they needed. But this was still during the pandemic. With the existing travel restrictions, Benoit could not do this shoot on his own.
And with a tightening scheduling and looming deadline, he needed some local help.
A potential solution
It is not an easy thing to ask strangers to match the aesthetic and technical standards of a video project mid-production. But that is what Benoit had to do.
A strategic and detail-oriented man, Benoit targeted a handful of Raleigh-area production companies and invited them to interview for the project. With the game launch fast approaching, he needed a partner on his level because he was not about to sacrifice a modicum of quality.
Enter: The Grid, a rising talent in Raleigh’s video production scene.
When they got the urgent inquiry on their website form, The Grid’s co-founder Kyle Sheats had a skepticism that matched Benoit’s. Why? Not only was this sort of project squarely in their wheelhouse - shooting interviews is their bread and butter - but also, Ubisoft?(!) It seemed too good to be true.
The first set of meetings, however, revealed that all involved were indeed very serious.
Benoit’s questions were exacting. He quizzed Kyle on their production process for different scenarios down to aperture and frame rate. Benoit then detailed where he places his key light and how he frames his interviews. And before long, despite the clash of Benoit’s French Canadian accent and Kyle’s slight Carolinian drawl, they found they were speaking exactly the same language - video production.
Now it was time to bring in the client. Benoit and Kyle had done several meetings, sparring and sharing notes, and they had a plan. As they outlined their ideas on a video call with the whole team, the tension of the past few weeks began to thaw. It looked like they had a real solution and it was going to work.
The Plan
There was still a lot to do.
Kyle and his team needed to scout the location at the Red Storm office, taking photos and diagramming the set. They also needed to secure equipment that would deliver footage that seamlessly integrated into what Benoit already had. So they opted to trade their Canon C200’s to match his Sony FS7’s and Fujinon Cine lenses.
Then The Grid assembled their crew. It was a simple and effective four-man team: Cody Pyper, FS7 specialist, on A-Camera, Sean Pruszkowski on B-Camera, Cleveland May as Production Assistant and BTS videographer, and Kyle as Producer and managing the live feed to Montreal.
But even as these logistics were coming together, there was still a big unknown. Namely, the exact content of the shoot.
Because Ubisoft’s video game launch announcements are kept tightly under wraps until they are officially released, The Grid was on a “need to know” basis. As in, they didn’t need to know the specific project they were working on. No hints, just educated guesses - not a thing until NDAs were signed AND the time was right.
Coincidentally, this sort of cloak-and-dagger arrangement was perfect for the game they were helping promote.
And then, beyond this central mystery, there was one last surprise. One week before the shoot date it was decided The Grid needed to shoot the entire project script. This was not the initial plan. But with the uncertainty of working through a pandemic, Benoit wanted to cover all his bases. Especially now that he knew he had a reliable production partner, the additional footage would guarantee he had everything he needed to stay on top of his deadline.
The Shoot
It's getting close to 10am and it's time to start filming. After an hour and a half spent on the lighting set up, nearly everything is in place.
With two huge, heavy-duty Aputure lights and light domes providing the key and hair light, the direct morning sunlight is now flooding the window and reflecting off the diffuser to create ample fill light - and a perfectly lit shot.
They’re ready to film Richard Stanford, Ubisoft Community Developer, who’s being interviewed for the launch of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction.
An orbit of cameras, monitors, and a teleprompter encircle the mark where Richard takes his place. He’s mic’d with a lavalier and a shotgun microphone aimed in his direction, each set to different decibel levels so no audio gets left behind.
The crew of The Grid, clad in matching black tees with their geometric logo, revolve around Richard as shooting gets underway - as does Benoit and his team in Montreal via live feed. Benoit provides direction as Richard runs through the script. Happy to take a break from emails this morning, Richard doesn’t seem to mind the dozens of takes. He does one line almost 50 times.
And after all the planning and mounting suspense… the shoot goes off without a hitch. Despite making a living telling stories, everyone is pleased with the lack of drama.
It’s just after noon and it's a wrap. Kyle gets the footage to Benoit as the rest of the crew packs up. With the hatchback of their Toyota Highlander loaded to the ceiling with equipment, The Grid plans to indulge a little tradition of theirs. They pile in the car and head to Hog Heaven. They always get barbecue after a good shoot outside the Raleigh beltline.