Amongst the many changes the coronavirus pandemic has forced on the creative industry, there’s one lesson that brands and agencies alike should heed from now on – the importance of having a tried-and-tested contingency plan in place to mitigate against any future disruptive events. Of course, you can’t always be ready for the unknown or unexpected. But the wheels need to keep turning, especially when the usual tools are suddenly unavailable. 

When lockdown started a few months ago, the shoot production industry ground to a near-total halt. After all, how do you continue operations heavily dependent on human interaction when the rule of thumb is to keep two metres apart? 

With live-action shoots out of the equation, a lot of businesses have had the foresight to turn to creative alternatives such as CGI to produce their content for campaigns that were at risk of cancellation or indefinite suspension. Brands could still promote their products without losing momentum, either by translating the original concept to CGI or tailoring the key messages to better suit it.

Whilst some have been skeptical, and not fully convinced whether computers can emulate cameras, the truth is that CGI is a proven and powerful production tool that is yet to be utilised to its full potential by many sectors in the industry. 

CGI production should not be pigeonholed as just a quick fix to live-action shooting. But, in the right hands, it does provide the same quality of photographic integrity as a camera does. The software matches real camera settings and how lenses and materials behave and react to light – it is a powerful blend of art and science. 

There is still a misconception amongst some""