Our film needed to talk about the fact that we are at the beginning of so many new technologies: Ai. Smart Cities, Automation, the list goes on. And the beginning is when you can best shape the technology for the future. But how do you represent things that no one has any idea what shape they’ll take. Well, you don’t. Not figuratively anyway. We chose elegant symbolism and abstraction. And considering that this film talks to the idea, “that now is the time to make the world we want”, we chose to have scenes unfold as if they are being created, or given life.

We needed to show the dawn of life, artificial life. So we needed to represent things that haven’t or cannot be seen, so this symbolic animation was the answer. But we needed to do it in a way that meant that the ideas and technology didn’t seem like fantasy. So we produced this in what could be termed abstracted realism. These photoreal symbolic futures gave weight to the ideas, as if this tech was real, but allowed us to poetically ponder possibilities. It was the right amount of poetry and pragmatism. And this mix is true of the Deloitte Brand. They believe in the rigour of research, and the vigour of ideas, in equal measure. Method and magic. And this craft, this style, was a manifestation of the brand.

3 months of research and development, working with the Deloitte consulting and technology teams allowed the animators to gain a real insight into where this tech is heading, so the abstractions were based on reality…even down to the clear photovoltaic solar cells in the smart cities. Tonally, we wanted to portray an optimistic vision of the future, yet one unlike those presented to us in film, and as you can imagine, this is well-trodden ground. So although there are elements that are recognisable of a future we know, so as not to appear too alien, this future needed to feel fresh and hopeful (without being too sweet). We settled on a mix of organic and mechanic elements. This hard technology versus tactile organic structures created the visual tension, and strangely, the balance of the film.

The film has now been used across Deloitte's global business. So universal is the message that it has been translated to be used across 4 separate continents. The film has been viewed millions of times online. Since launch there has been a notable rise in requests for Deloitte's consulting business in sector including Ai, Blockchain and emerging technology.