Box explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera. The abstract narrative is divided into five categories of classical magic that flow together in a single five-minute shot.

By combining animation, robotics and projection mapping, Box turns conventional CG filmmaking on its head—instead of filming a human subject to be composited in a CG world, CG elements are brought to the human world, enabling a live performer to interact with them. The final piece is a hybrid of art, technology and experimental filmmaking.

Making Box involved automated cinematography, lighting design, reactive lighting and robotics, not to mention projection on moving surfaces. The lighting and graphics are evolving all the time and push a smooth visual and narrative arc.

Our initial focus was creating a system for projecting onto moving objects. Only after we created that system did we write a treatment based on categories of classical magic. We focused on the acts that seemed best-suited to provide a coherent editorial structure, narrowing them down to our five favourites - transformation, levitation, intersection, teleportation and escape.

The design approach was informed by black-and-white optical illusion art, set within a film noir aesthetic. Each section needed to evolve into something new, both aesthetically and technically. The design had to be quite minimal as we were projecting artwork onto canvases and re-filming it in a documentary style.

We spent a ton of time on the lighting and re-shot and re-lit things multiple times to get it feeling right, as a big sticking point was how much of the studio to reveal. Shooting everything in-camera lets you see mistakes and delays in the projection if you look closely enough -- that’s all part of allowing it look real.

We blocked out the motion graphics and animation with Maya and Bot & Dolly’s own software, BDMove. This workflow allowed us the freedom to create using trial and error to get the scale and the level of detail exactly right.