Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to do this with VFX?
Because VFX can show anything, a synthetic video tells you nothing about the actual brightness of the screen. Which was their whole point: "Then, as we began to the see the new screens around the office, we were shocked. We knew we'd spec'd bright, OLED screens, but these things were EXCEPTIONALLY BRIGHT. Startlingly bright."
Yes but this seems much more fun
It seems more like Chris Rock’s joke about driving a car with your feet.
This isn't a rag tag band of rebel filmmakers.
I think that was the issue--the write up did not go into the details, which makes it seem like what they did was neither difficult nor extraordinary, especially if you factor in that Valve has practically unlimited amount of money to spend, a deep pool of talented employees with nothing better to do, and no deadlines.
I had fun reading about it; would probably have had fun doing it. No worries if that doesn't match up!
> This seems fun enough — and dumb enough — to try, so we got to work.
They then put it in their lobby because they thought it was cool.
Many would hire an agency to create an ad for you but that would 10x the cost, not to mention dealing with the opinions of an outsourced creative director...