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tag

Storytelling, Higher Ed

Client

SimpsonScarborough

type

Live Action

Project Overview

Because of UConn

Higher-ed agency SimpsonScarborough partnered with us to create a mini-doc on UConn professor Dr. Xiao-Dong Zhou, a pioneer in clean energy and sustainability. Working closely with the SimpsonScarborough team, we helped shape both the narrative and the visual approach, centering the film on Dr. Zhou’s vision for a more sustainable campus.

To bring that idea to life, we used anamorphic lenses, diopters, and in-camera effects to create an ethereal, dream-like aesthetic, reflecting a future that is both aspirational and within reach. The final piece plays almost like an experimental short film: bold, unexpected, and unlike anything typically produced for a major public university.

SimpsonScarborough

Client

Christa Cox

Head of Production/Executive Producer

Mike Beaumont

Director

Olivia Ciotti, Andy Murphy-Young

Producers

Kenny Mosher

Director of Photography

Kurt Keaner, Justin Russel

Editors

Kenny Mosher

Colorist

Marc DiCenzo

Sound Designer

Best of Show, Gold x 1, Silver x 2

AAF ADDYs

Crafting the look

When we arrived on the UConn campus, our first priority was a full location scout to understand the visual potential of the environment. It didn’t take long to realize how much the campus itself could contribute to the story. The architecture, tree-lined paths, and walkable layout offered a wide range of textures and perspectives that quickly sparked ideas for how the piece could unfold visually. To take advantage of that variety, we kept the crew light and nimble, allowing us to move quickly between locations as we followed the natural flow of the campus.

Over the course of the shoot we captured everything from outdoor portraits to tight, dimly lit tunnels and busy research labs, often pivoting rapidly as opportunities presented themselves. To enhance the sense of imagination and possibility at the heart of the story, we paired anamorphic lenses with diopters and other in-camera techniques, creating a subtle dreamlike quality that helped elevate the visuals beyond a straightforward campus tour.

Building the boards

For the storyboards, we built the visual plan using a mix of scout photography, AI-generated imagery, and existing design frames from the concept phase.

Rather than treating the boards as a static deliverable, they evolved alongside the location scout as we discovered new spaces and visual opportunities across campus. We incorporated photos from the scout to ground the boards in real locations, while AI imagery helped us quickly visualize more conceptual moments and camera ideas that would be difficult to capture in a simple reference photo.

The result was a flexible visual roadmap that blended practical reality with creative exploration. Developing the boards in real time also became a collaborative process, with Spacejunk, SimpsonScarborough, and UConn refining shots together and aligning on how the story would ultimately come to life on screen.

Storyboards

Setting the tone

To align everyone around the visual direction of the piece, we developed a series of moodboards that explored both the cinematography and the visual effects approach.

These boards helped establish the film's tone early on, focusing on framing, lighting, and camera movement while also introducing the architectural visualization elements that would appear throughout the story.

On the cinematography side, we pulled references that emphasized scale, light, and perspective. Clean lines, striking architecture, and moments of quiet human presence helped convey the sense of ambition and forward-thinking that defines the project.

In parallel, we assembled reference imagery for the VFX work, exploring how wireframes, architectural sketches, and digital structures could emerge naturally within the live-action footage.

Together, these moodboards became a shared visual language for Spacejunk, SimpsonScarborough, and UConn, ensuring that everyone was aligned on how the film should look and feel long before cameras rolled.

Moodboards

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