Inside The Artistic Engine of CGI ft. Faruk Heplevent of The Scope

[00:00:00] Now in the middle of one of the most significant eras in automotive, Carl Anthony amplifies the minds and voices behind this historic transformation as the host of AutoVision News Radio

[00:00:10] Mic Check 1-2

[00:00:11] All while coming to terms with middle age, father loss, and what it means to be successful in Detroit.

[00:00:16] Let's imagine that you are an automaker. For fun, take your last name and add Motors or Motor Company to it. You're about to release three important vehicles for your brand.

[00:00:30] An economical yet sporty sedan, a three-row, family-friendly SUV, and a rugged 4x4 truck.

[00:00:38] With the sedan, you want to emphasize its value, be it the reasonable starting MSRP or fuel economy.

[00:00:45] It's a good car for a first-time buyer, likewise a good option for someone who needs an efficient daily driver.

[00:00:51] Something to get to work and back, to run errands, to pick up the kids or grandkids.

[00:00:56] The photos and videos of this small sedan that you will use for your marketing and sales efforts need to reflect this.

[00:01:04] So perhaps we want to show this sedan outside a house or an apartment complex or a local park.

[00:01:11] Additional video footage may show it cruising around downtown on a busy morning and how easy it is to park.

[00:01:18] You also have the optional sport package. That's a fan favorite, so we need to show some shots of the rear spoiler and the sleek aluminum alloy wheels,

[00:01:28] maybe as the sedan turns a corner as onlookers admire the cherry red paint.

[00:01:34] With your three-row SUV, you want to emphasize the dynamic in-vehicle environment.

[00:01:40] Your photos and videos need to capture the way the panoramic roof opens up and lets the outside light in,

[00:01:47] the seamless operation of the infotainment features, the way the rear hatch opens automatically,

[00:01:54] and the way the third row folds neatly to allow for all sorts of cargo and gear.

[00:02:00] Maybe we can do some cool flyby with a drone and a camera,

[00:02:05] and we look down and we see a family below with the SUV, enjoying an afternoon picnic and evening fireworks.

[00:02:13] We then cut to the dusty gravel roads of a Midwest farmer headed over yonder to fix fence and check up on cattle.

[00:02:21] The camera is positioned over the big tow mirrors.

[00:02:24] There's a pallet of seed corn in the bed or a flat trailer with hay bales.

[00:02:29] We may also want to show a local tradesperson dropping their kids off at school.

[00:02:34] A big Carhartt jacket in the front seat and a pair of Red Wing 606 style boots.

[00:02:41] The parent and their kids exchange one last wave before they head to the crosswalk.

[00:02:46] It's a long day ahead for sure, but under that tonneau cover are the tools they have used to forge this life.

[00:02:54] Meanwhile, a group of friends has piled in your crew cab truck for the weekend,

[00:02:59] hoping to make a nickel off a turnin' them bass,

[00:03:03] because like the Luke Bryan song,

[00:03:05] they live by a certain prayer that every country boy prays.

[00:03:09] Three different vehicles.

[00:03:11] Three different buyers.

[00:03:13] Three different product launches.

[00:03:15] But each one is vital.

[00:03:18] You will need all of the visual assets you plan to use on stage during the live unveilings,

[00:03:24] plus an archive of press photos and videos for journalists.

[00:03:27] Those visual assets will likely be different than the ones you plan to use on your website

[00:03:33] and in your advertising and social media campaigns once each vehicle goes on sale.

[00:03:39] So there is some coordination that will need to happen.

[00:03:42] You'll need to get your sedan, SUV, and truck to each individual location,

[00:03:47] from a bustling downtown to the tall cornfields.

[00:03:51] Shoot at the right time of day.

[00:03:52] Hope the weather cooperates.

[00:03:54] Hope your equipment cooperates.

[00:03:56] Try not to damage the vehicles.

[00:03:57] Try not to damage any of your equipment.

[00:03:59] Also, avoid getting lost in the middle of nowhere on the way to your shooting location

[00:04:03] on some no-name road.

[00:04:05] Avoid the spy shot crowd,

[00:04:06] all while staying ahead of schedule and under budget on each individual vehicle launch.

[00:04:11] Or you could use computer-generated imagery, often written as CGI for short.

[00:04:15] As described in an article from Adobe.

[00:04:18] Link in the show notes.

[00:04:26] In animations, CGI can be used to create new worlds,

[00:04:31] for example in popular films, like Pixar's Toy Story or Disney's Frozen.

[00:04:37] Quoting from that Adobe article further,

[00:04:40] CGI removes the need for complex, expensive, and time-consuming manual animation

[00:04:45] and allows artists far greater freedom to work outside the confines of 2D.

[00:04:50] With our example of the three upcoming vehicle launches,

[00:04:55] CGI allows us to create all of the visual assets that we would need

[00:04:59] without traveling to multiple locations.

[00:05:02] CGI gives us modular asset creation,

[00:05:06] where we can place our sedan at the park,

[00:05:08] but switch out the time of day or year.

[00:05:11] Likewise, we can place our truck on the highway in a crew cab configuration with 20-inch wheels,

[00:05:17] pulling a boat in one instance,

[00:05:19] and then change that out in the next instance to an extended cab model

[00:05:24] with an ATV in the bed.

[00:05:27] This means we don't have to try and come up with two different trucks,

[00:05:31] plus a boat and an ATV.

[00:05:32] CGI can handle this for us.

[00:05:35] When it comes to CGI for the automotive industry,

[00:05:38] few people know the topic better than Farouk Eplevent,

[00:05:41] founder of The Scope,

[00:05:43] an innovative company that uses cutting-edge CGI technology

[00:05:47] to create visual assets for vehicle launches and advertisements,

[00:05:52] just like the ones we've been talking about.

[00:05:54] In 1990, Farouk began assisting professional photographers,

[00:05:59] first with still-life images,

[00:06:01] then advertising,

[00:06:02] and eventually automotive photography.

[00:06:04] By 1999, Farouk was working for major automakers,

[00:06:09] creating visuals on their behalf

[00:06:11] that would drive brand awareness.

[00:06:13] In 2007, he founded The Scope,

[00:06:16] later coining the term CG photography,

[00:06:19] or using computer software to take pictures.

[00:06:22] In 2022, Farouk and his team released The Scope City,

[00:06:27] a computer-generated city-building tool

[00:06:29] that allows OEMs to generate

[00:06:31] an entire personalized urban landscape for their vehicles,

[00:06:36] not just a one-off background or a single location,

[00:06:40] but a whole virtual city for a car to drive.

[00:06:43] Visual assets that can be produced by The Scope City

[00:06:46] are limited only by one's imagination.

[00:06:49] OEMs could have a city that resembles New York

[00:06:52] or Los Angeles or Chicago,

[00:06:54] complete with bridges and skyscrapers.

[00:06:57] Farouk has worked with Audi,

[00:06:59] BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Lincoln, and Toyota, among others.

[00:07:03] And when he's not bringing his incredible visions

[00:07:05] into reality for these brands,

[00:07:08] Farouk enjoys spending time with his wife

[00:07:10] and four sons in Germany.

[00:07:13] We begin with a brief history

[00:07:15] of why automakers started looking at CGI

[00:07:18] as a viable option.

[00:07:20] Moving at the speed of mobility,

[00:07:22] this is AutoVision News Radio

[00:07:24] with Carl Anthony in Detroit, Michigan.

[00:07:26] Automotive clients had a very good understanding of data.

[00:07:31] They started designing in CAD,

[00:07:34] computer-aided design, very early

[00:07:37] and saw the value in using those assets.

[00:07:41] That started as early as 2005 in Germany.

[00:07:46] Back then, I was still working as a car photographer.

[00:07:49] This is my background.

[00:07:50] I learned photography in the still-life studio

[00:07:53] and then developed into car photographer.

[00:07:57] An actual car shoot is a complex endeavor.

[00:08:01] Then if you add a prototype car

[00:08:05] to the whole setting that is to be kept secret,

[00:08:08] it gets really, really complicated.

[00:08:10] What would happen is that manufacturers

[00:08:13] would build cars just for the photo shoots,

[00:08:16] for the film and photo shoots,

[00:08:17] cost them about a million a pop.

[00:08:20] The car that they produced for that,

[00:08:22] they would destroy it afterwards

[00:08:23] because it didn't have a serial number.

[00:08:25] You were not allowed to put it on a real street.

[00:08:27] So it was just a huge investment

[00:08:30] to get pictures and film.

[00:08:32] So when they said,

[00:08:33] oh, well, we can do that in the computer,

[00:08:35] they were the first ones to embrace it.

[00:08:37] Before the scope, Farouk,

[00:08:39] before we get to this part of your career,

[00:08:42] I want to go back to 1990.

[00:08:44] Take us through this part of your life.

[00:08:46] There's about a nine-year period there

[00:08:48] between 1990 and 1999

[00:08:50] when you started working for top car brands.

[00:08:53] Take us back to that area of your life,

[00:08:56] that time in your life.

[00:08:57] So 1990, I finished school.

[00:09:00] But while I was in school,

[00:09:01] I was already working as an intern for photographers.

[00:09:05] After school, I decided not to study,

[00:09:07] but to go work.

[00:09:08] And a way to learn photography back in the day

[00:09:11] was it's a kind of apprenticeship, right?

[00:09:15] It's called assisting.

[00:09:16] So you work as an assistant.

[00:09:18] You start as a second or third assistant

[00:09:20] and work your way up.

[00:09:21] I assisted for quite a long time,

[00:09:23] but towards the end,

[00:09:25] when I was working with car photographers

[00:09:27] and car productions,

[00:09:29] there was already, let's say,

[00:09:31] that assisting was serious work.

[00:09:34] A lot of responsibilities, well-paid.

[00:09:37] And many, many of my friends

[00:09:39] actually didn't take the step

[00:09:41] to become a photographer.

[00:09:43] They stayed with very good assistants, right?

[00:09:45] First assistants.

[00:09:46] But, you know, essentially learning years

[00:09:48] and in the 90s compared to now,

[00:09:53] a production was a very complex endeavor.

[00:09:56] You know, you were shooting on film.

[00:09:58] You had to expose film.

[00:09:59] You needed to get film to the lab,

[00:10:01] have it processed.

[00:10:02] You were usually shooting on transparencies

[00:10:06] that could be printed,

[00:10:08] not on negative,

[00:10:09] which meant that your margin of error

[00:10:12] was very, very small.

[00:10:14] So one third of a stop,

[00:10:16] if you missed that,

[00:10:18] it was, you know,

[00:10:19] mishposed, so to speak, right?

[00:10:21] So it was not correct.

[00:10:22] It was too bright, too dark.

[00:10:24] You know, the professional productions

[00:10:25] would use eight by 10 film

[00:10:28] or four by five.

[00:10:30] And, you know,

[00:10:31] the sheet of film was eight by 10 inches

[00:10:34] and obviously very expensive.

[00:10:36] And you have these big cameras

[00:10:37] that you need to set up

[00:10:39] and put the car

[00:10:40] and expose and block traffic.

[00:10:42] So getting a picture already

[00:10:43] was quite a challenge.

[00:10:45] And was, you know,

[00:10:46] technically was very complex,

[00:10:48] you know, reading lights,

[00:10:50] the location scouting

[00:10:51] was complex because,

[00:10:53] you know, if you imagine

[00:10:54] you're scouting a location

[00:10:56] in March,

[00:10:57] but your shoot is planned for May.

[00:10:59] So the sun position

[00:11:00] is going to be different.

[00:11:02] So I was capable of using these,

[00:11:04] you know,

[00:11:05] Boy Scout kind of,

[00:11:06] you can see the height

[00:11:08] of the sun and the position.

[00:11:09] And I could read

[00:11:10] all these sun charts

[00:11:11] and you actually,

[00:11:12] you know,

[00:11:12] you would have to buy these charts

[00:11:14] because there was no app for it,

[00:11:16] right?

[00:11:16] No app.

[00:11:17] So you're like,

[00:11:17] oh, okay,

[00:11:18] I need a chart for Los Angeles

[00:11:21] for 1992

[00:11:22] because next year is different.

[00:11:24] So once you're on location,

[00:11:26] you could tell the photographer,

[00:11:27] okay,

[00:11:27] the sun is rising here.

[00:11:29] It's going to be there,

[00:11:30] 745.

[00:11:31] This is where your shot is.

[00:11:32] So you need to prepare

[00:11:33] for all these things.

[00:11:35] It was a complicated mission.

[00:11:37] Let's put it that way.

[00:11:38] Compared to that,

[00:11:39] what we're doing now,

[00:11:41] digital photography,

[00:11:42] all these things

[00:11:43] and coming to CG image production

[00:11:47] as a creative,

[00:11:48] it's incredibly liberating.

[00:11:50] This is what we say.

[00:11:51] It's like,

[00:11:52] you know,

[00:11:52] creative freedom

[00:11:53] and production control

[00:11:54] because in CGI,

[00:11:56] you can say,

[00:11:56] okay,

[00:11:56] this is my car angle.

[00:11:58] This is the location

[00:11:59] that we have created

[00:12:00] in the computer.

[00:12:01] And now I want the sun

[00:12:03] to be exactly at this point

[00:12:05] to hit the car

[00:12:06] on the shoulder,

[00:12:07] give me a good design line.

[00:12:09] The sun stays there.

[00:12:11] It doesn't move.

[00:12:12] It doesn't go away.

[00:12:13] It's just where you need it to be

[00:12:14] with a much smaller crew,

[00:12:16] obviously,

[00:12:16] with much less risk

[00:12:18] creative risk

[00:12:19] and, you know,

[00:12:20] keeping it secret risk,

[00:12:22] transportation risk

[00:12:23] and, you know,

[00:12:25] renewable energy

[00:12:25] running the computers

[00:12:26] is better than flying the car

[00:12:28] across the world

[00:12:28] a couple of times.

[00:12:30] How did the idea

[00:12:31] for the scope come about?

[00:12:34] You know,

[00:12:34] it came to fruition

[00:12:35] around 2005.

[00:12:36] My family was growing

[00:12:37] and I lost a job to CGI.

[00:12:40] You know,

[00:12:41] I had basically

[00:12:42] the creative director

[00:12:43] wanted to work with us,

[00:12:44] the marketing person

[00:12:45] wanted to work with us,

[00:12:46] was a client

[00:12:47] that we,

[00:12:48] you know,

[00:12:48] did a lot of projects with

[00:12:50] but the decision was

[00:12:52] it needs to be done

[00:12:53] in CGI

[00:12:53] and the studio

[00:12:55] that was doing the CGI

[00:12:56] said,

[00:12:57] oh no,

[00:12:57] we cannot work with them.

[00:12:58] They have no experience

[00:12:59] with CGI.

[00:12:59] It's going to be too expensive.

[00:13:01] Pick somebody else.

[00:13:02] So that's when I was,

[00:13:03] you know,

[00:13:03] I woke up.

[00:13:04] Let's put it that way,

[00:13:05] right?

[00:13:05] It's like,

[00:13:06] you know,

[00:13:06] when you lose a project

[00:13:07] to a new competitor,

[00:13:09] you need to take a look at it

[00:13:11] and,

[00:13:12] you know,

[00:13:12] as I said,

[00:13:13] the family was growing

[00:13:14] and my wife said,

[00:13:16] well,

[00:13:17] I didn't want to really marry a sailor

[00:13:19] because,

[00:13:19] you know,

[00:13:20] car photographer's life

[00:13:21] is a sailor's life.

[00:13:23] You follow the sun,

[00:13:24] you know,

[00:13:25] you're in fantastic places.

[00:13:27] It's a nice lifestyle

[00:13:28] but it's not good for the family.

[00:13:30] You know,

[00:13:30] you're in LA,

[00:13:32] southern Spain,

[00:13:33] Cape Town.

[00:13:34] That was the tour

[00:13:34] that we essentially

[00:13:36] were flying,

[00:13:38] right?

[00:13:38] Always there

[00:13:39] where the sun is.

[00:13:39] I used to work

[00:13:40] on the auto show circuit

[00:13:41] so I get it,

[00:13:42] my friend.

[00:13:43] Wonderful places

[00:13:44] but you're gone

[00:13:45] 80,

[00:13:45] 90% of the year.

[00:13:46] Then,

[00:13:46] you know,

[00:13:47] that was one of the reasons

[00:13:48] of losing the job

[00:13:49] and,

[00:13:49] you know,

[00:13:50] wanting to be

[00:13:51] more at home.

[00:13:53] Honestly,

[00:13:54] in the beginning,

[00:13:54] I didn't really know

[00:13:55] what I was doing.

[00:13:56] I mean,

[00:13:57] you know,

[00:13:57] when I look back,

[00:13:58] the stuff I bought

[00:14:00] and the tech

[00:14:01] I selected

[00:14:03] was,

[00:14:03] yeah,

[00:14:04] was not smart.

[00:14:05] Walk me through

[00:14:07] the scope today

[00:14:08] and the work

[00:14:09] that you're doing.

[00:14:10] Let's say that I come

[00:14:10] to you as a potential

[00:14:12] client,

[00:14:12] as a potential

[00:14:13] customer.

[00:14:14] Take me through

[00:14:15] the process.

[00:14:16] What we mainly do

[00:14:18] is we work

[00:14:19] on launch projects.

[00:14:21] In those projects,

[00:14:23] the creative

[00:14:25] brief

[00:14:26] is liquid,

[00:14:27] let's say.

[00:14:28] You know,

[00:14:29] usually there's

[00:14:29] an agency involved

[00:14:30] and there is,

[00:14:31] you know,

[00:14:31] some ideas

[00:14:33] on the table,

[00:14:34] but it's

[00:14:35] very different

[00:14:36] to a normal

[00:14:37] project because

[00:14:39] you have

[00:14:40] sea level

[00:14:40] involved.

[00:14:41] What we do

[00:14:42] is essentially

[00:14:43] creating

[00:14:44] the films

[00:14:45] and the photos

[00:14:45] that are used

[00:14:46] on car shows.

[00:14:47] I mean,

[00:14:48] car shows

[00:14:48] are coming back,

[00:14:49] but, you know,

[00:14:50] there's a lot

[00:14:50] of online launches

[00:14:52] or they do

[00:14:52] their private events.

[00:14:54] In the end,

[00:14:55] it's the same thing.

[00:14:56] You know,

[00:14:56] a CEO

[00:14:56] is going

[00:14:57] to be on stage

[00:14:58] and present

[00:14:59] the new car.

[00:15:01] Whoever it is,

[00:15:02] they're very

[00:15:02] invested in knowing

[00:15:04] what's going on,

[00:15:05] what it's going

[00:15:06] to look like.

[00:15:07] And that's why

[00:15:08] we developed

[00:15:08] a full CGI

[00:15:11] workflow,

[00:15:11] it's called.

[00:15:12] So the locations

[00:15:13] are CGI,

[00:15:14] the car is CGI.

[00:15:15] The simplest way

[00:15:16] to envision that

[00:15:17] is like a video game,

[00:15:19] but photorealistic.

[00:15:20] So we have

[00:15:21] the environment

[00:15:21] and we can control it

[00:15:23] because when

[00:15:24] the head of design

[00:15:25] or the CEO says,

[00:15:27] well,

[00:15:27] it's too bright,

[00:15:27] it's too dark.

[00:15:28] Whatever the feedback is,

[00:15:30] you need to be able

[00:15:31] to create an alternative

[00:15:33] very quickly

[00:15:33] and show them

[00:15:34] when you're working

[00:15:35] with people

[00:15:36] that are extremely busy

[00:15:38] but still

[00:15:39] need to make

[00:15:40] the decision

[00:15:40] or want to make

[00:15:41] the decision, right?

[00:15:42] There is no,

[00:15:43] oh, let's talk about

[00:15:44] and let's find a solution.

[00:15:45] It's yes, no,

[00:15:45] yes, no,

[00:15:46] yes, no.

[00:15:47] The only way

[00:15:48] to do it,

[00:15:49] we think,

[00:15:49] is to actually do it,

[00:15:51] show it,

[00:15:51] put it on the table

[00:15:52] and say,

[00:15:52] okay,

[00:15:53] you like it?

[00:15:54] And depending

[00:15:54] on the feedback,

[00:15:55] we decide

[00:15:56] if we go back

[00:15:57] to a new camera,

[00:15:58] if we change the color,

[00:16:00] you know,

[00:16:00] whatever needs to be done

[00:16:01] to be able

[00:16:02] to answer

[00:16:02] their feedback.

[00:16:04] It's like a fast

[00:16:05] response situation

[00:16:06] what we're doing.

[00:16:08] Yeah,

[00:16:08] so that's the other

[00:16:09] side of this too.

[00:16:10] So expanding upon that,

[00:16:12] CGI,

[00:16:13] you have more

[00:16:14] creative control,

[00:16:15] you don't have to have

[00:16:16] as large of a budget,

[00:16:17] you have this more

[00:16:17] efficient production

[00:16:19] process overall,

[00:16:20] especially on a tight

[00:16:21] timeline.

[00:16:22] Well,

[00:16:22] we see there is

[00:16:23] huge benefits

[00:16:24] when you go

[00:16:25] what we call

[00:16:26] downstream.

[00:16:27] So you have to launch

[00:16:28] and then you want

[00:16:29] to extend

[00:16:29] on your asset

[00:16:30] collection.

[00:16:31] So the location

[00:16:32] that you have chosen

[00:16:34] that we created

[00:16:35] for you

[00:16:36] is still there

[00:16:37] in the same light

[00:16:38] situation.

[00:16:38] So you could say,

[00:16:39] oh, well,

[00:16:39] okay, launch is done,

[00:16:40] but now I want,

[00:16:41] you know,

[00:16:42] more shots of the wheels.

[00:16:44] I need more

[00:16:44] interior shots.

[00:16:46] And once you get

[00:16:47] closer to going

[00:16:48] to market

[00:16:49] with the car

[00:16:49] and start creating

[00:16:51] the website content,

[00:16:53] right,

[00:16:53] the sales content,

[00:16:55] you can start

[00:16:56] producing these

[00:16:57] before you actually

[00:16:59] have a production

[00:16:59] car ready.

[00:17:00] Another option

[00:17:01] is, for example,

[00:17:02] you have the same shot,

[00:17:03] but you say,

[00:17:04] oh, I want this

[00:17:05] in a red paint

[00:17:06] with a different

[00:17:07] trim.

[00:17:08] Or, you know,

[00:17:09] I want the same car

[00:17:10] but in a different

[00:17:11] light situation.

[00:17:12] Or I love the angle,

[00:17:14] but I don't want it

[00:17:14] to be on the beach.

[00:17:16] Keep the angle,

[00:17:17] take it to the city

[00:17:18] and show me

[00:17:18] what it looks like there.

[00:17:19] So you have

[00:17:20] these elements

[00:17:21] of a shot,

[00:17:22] camera angle,

[00:17:24] distance to the car,

[00:17:25] the trim of the car,

[00:17:27] the location,

[00:17:28] season.

[00:17:29] To keep it simple,

[00:17:30] there is more,

[00:17:31] but, you know,

[00:17:31] if you have those,

[00:17:32] if you have five elements,

[00:17:34] but you have the option

[00:17:35] to switch them out,

[00:17:38] that is very powerful

[00:17:39] because you can build

[00:17:41] upon existing images

[00:17:44] that everybody likes.

[00:17:45] You know,

[00:17:46] some manufacturers

[00:17:47] already build those

[00:17:48] solutions,

[00:17:48] but they take them

[00:17:49] to the website

[00:17:49] and then you have

[00:17:50] an interactive solution.

[00:17:52] So essentially,

[00:17:53] you know,

[00:17:53] you see a clip,

[00:17:54] you go there

[00:17:54] and then you can

[00:17:55] open the doors,

[00:17:56] go in,

[00:17:56] change the trim,

[00:17:57] you know,

[00:17:58] make it your own.

[00:17:59] This is what,

[00:18:00] you know,

[00:18:02] essentially want

[00:18:03] and you've done this,

[00:18:04] you configured this car.

[00:18:06] By the way,

[00:18:06] here's the dealership

[00:18:07] that has this configuration.

[00:18:09] Why don't you just

[00:18:10] go and buy it?

[00:18:11] It gives manufacturers

[00:18:12] the opportunity

[00:18:13] to, you know,

[00:18:14] make the offer,

[00:18:15] essentially.

[00:18:16] Baruch,

[00:18:17] tell us more

[00:18:17] about the Scope City

[00:18:20] Tech Tool

[00:18:20] and its applications

[00:18:22] for the automotive industry.

[00:18:23] So the Scope City

[00:18:24] Tech Tool

[00:18:25] is something that,

[00:18:26] you know,

[00:18:26] I'm very proud of my team

[00:18:27] that they actually

[00:18:28] put it together.

[00:18:29] We had,

[00:18:30] interestingly,

[00:18:31] during COVID,

[00:18:32] our business

[00:18:32] slowed down,

[00:18:34] which is counterintuitive

[00:18:36] because it would be like,

[00:18:37] oh,

[00:18:37] nobody could travel,

[00:18:38] da-da-da-da,

[00:18:39] right?

[00:18:39] So why don't you use CGI?

[00:18:41] But interestingly,

[00:18:42] what happened,

[00:18:43] as you know,

[00:18:44] is there were not enough cars

[00:18:46] on the lots,

[00:18:47] right?

[00:18:47] Especially not new cars

[00:18:49] because they,

[00:18:49] you know,

[00:18:50] they just didn't build them

[00:18:51] or, you know,

[00:18:52] they didn't launch them

[00:18:53] at that time.

[00:18:54] And, you know,

[00:18:54] we did other things,

[00:18:55] but we had some time

[00:18:56] on our hands

[00:18:57] and CG City

[00:18:58] was always something

[00:18:59] that we wanted

[00:19:00] because,

[00:19:01] you know,

[00:19:01] secret cars,

[00:19:02] you want to create

[00:19:03] locations for that.

[00:19:04] And we had something

[00:19:06] similar to like

[00:19:08] backlots.

[00:19:09] I'm not sure

[00:19:09] if you're familiar

[00:19:10] with the backlots

[00:19:11] that the Hollywood

[00:19:12] people have

[00:19:13] in LA.

[00:19:14] So it's like

[00:19:14] stretches of street

[00:19:15] rebuilt,

[00:19:17] little financial districts.

[00:19:18] So that's why

[00:19:18] they shoot shows.

[00:19:21] You know,

[00:19:22] they would walk

[00:19:22] on the back lot.

[00:19:23] So we had

[00:19:24] small areas

[00:19:26] where we could

[00:19:26] create a few pictures,

[00:19:27] but you couldn't really

[00:19:28] travel with the car.

[00:19:30] You couldn't drive.

[00:19:30] So when we start

[00:19:32] doing,

[00:19:32] you know,

[00:19:32] let's not just

[00:19:33] build a city,

[00:19:34] let's build

[00:19:35] something that,

[00:19:37] you know,

[00:19:37] outputs cities.

[00:19:38] It's a machine.

[00:19:39] Essentially,

[00:19:40] it's a machine

[00:19:40] that outputs cities.

[00:19:42] And the main

[00:19:43] idea behind it

[00:19:45] is that

[00:19:46] manufacturers

[00:19:46] like to have

[00:19:48] their own

[00:19:48] environments.

[00:19:49] It's very

[00:19:50] common when it's,

[00:19:52] you know,

[00:19:52] for private homes.

[00:19:53] So essentially,

[00:19:54] you don't want

[00:19:55] to have the same

[00:19:56] private home

[00:19:57] behind your car

[00:19:59] that the other

[00:20:00] guy just used.

[00:20:01] But that happens

[00:20:02] constantly because

[00:20:03] how many great

[00:20:04] private homes

[00:20:05] are out there,

[00:20:05] right?

[00:20:06] So this is,

[00:20:06] we would build

[00:20:07] custom private homes

[00:20:09] for manufacturers,

[00:20:10] but custom cities

[00:20:12] was always like,

[00:20:13] well,

[00:20:13] you know,

[00:20:14] who's going to do

[00:20:14] a custom city?

[00:20:15] But to be able

[00:20:16] to do that,

[00:20:17] you know,

[00:20:18] we're now capable

[00:20:19] of producing

[00:20:20] and outputting

[00:20:22] individual cities

[00:20:23] where we can say,

[00:20:24] okay,

[00:20:24] this city,

[00:20:25] configuration of

[00:20:26] the buildings,

[00:20:27] the combination

[00:20:27] of the buildings,

[00:20:29] we can lock it

[00:20:30] down and say,

[00:20:31] it's only yours,

[00:20:32] right?

[00:20:32] If you want to.

[00:20:33] If you want to have

[00:20:34] it exclusively,

[00:20:35] we can make it

[00:20:36] exclusive.

[00:20:37] Also,

[00:20:38] the easiest way

[00:20:38] to say it's like

[00:20:39] a Lego system,

[00:20:40] right?

[00:20:40] So we have modules

[00:20:41] that software

[00:20:43] recombines.

[00:20:43] So it's easy

[00:20:45] for us to say

[00:20:45] this exact combination

[00:20:47] can only exist

[00:20:48] one time.

[00:20:48] So if I'm an OEM

[00:20:50] and I have a vehicle

[00:20:51] that I'm launching

[00:20:51] and I want my own

[00:20:53] custom city

[00:20:54] to launch that vehicle

[00:20:55] in,

[00:20:55] that I'm guaranteed

[00:20:56] nobody else

[00:20:57] will have those

[00:20:58] same buildings

[00:20:58] and street layouts

[00:21:00] and,

[00:21:00] you know,

[00:21:01] maybe the way

[00:21:01] the fog comes

[00:21:02] off the sewer

[00:21:03] and everything

[00:21:03] and I can build

[00:21:05] my own city

[00:21:06] to create

[00:21:07] the unique

[00:21:09] experience

[00:21:09] around that

[00:21:10] particular vehicle

[00:21:11] for that

[00:21:11] particular launch.

[00:21:12] Exactly,

[00:21:13] yeah.

[00:21:13] That is what

[00:21:14] we're offering

[00:21:15] and then

[00:21:16] also in the next

[00:21:17] step,

[00:21:17] you can,

[00:21:18] you could have

[00:21:19] the location

[00:21:20] as a connecting

[00:21:20] factor throughout

[00:21:22] your campaign,

[00:21:23] which in real life

[00:21:25] is not such an easy

[00:21:26] feat.

[00:21:27] And at the same

[00:21:28] time,

[00:21:28] we have this

[00:21:29] situation with

[00:21:30] the real life

[00:21:31] locations,

[00:21:32] obviously,

[00:21:33] with very known

[00:21:33] buildings

[00:21:34] or signage

[00:21:36] or shops.

[00:21:37] You know,

[00:21:37] these companies

[00:21:38] also have

[00:21:39] intellectual property.

[00:21:40] You know,

[00:21:41] if you want

[00:21:42] to use certain

[00:21:43] buildings from

[00:21:43] New York

[00:21:44] in your campaign,

[00:21:45] you need to pay

[00:21:45] them.

[00:21:46] And most OEMs

[00:21:48] are like,

[00:21:48] well,

[00:21:48] yeah,

[00:21:49] we want to feel

[00:21:49] it,

[00:21:50] you know,

[00:21:50] we want the New

[00:21:51] York feel,

[00:21:52] but I'm not

[00:21:52] selling New

[00:21:53] York,

[00:21:53] I'm selling

[00:21:53] my car.

[00:21:55] Right,

[00:21:55] right.

[00:21:55] It being generic

[00:21:56] is actually

[00:21:57] a feature

[00:21:58] that it's not

[00:21:59] an exact

[00:22:00] replica

[00:22:00] of New

[00:22:01] York,

[00:22:01] but it has

[00:22:02] the flavor

[00:22:03] of New

[00:22:04] York.

[00:22:04] What is the

[00:22:06] legacy

[00:22:07] that you would

[00:22:08] like to have

[00:22:08] left at the

[00:22:09] end of your

[00:22:09] career?

[00:22:10] Oh,

[00:22:10] that's a very

[00:22:11] interesting question.

[00:22:12] So I hope

[00:22:14] that some people

[00:22:15] will say,

[00:22:15] oh,

[00:22:15] I remember

[00:22:16] that guy

[00:22:16] that built

[00:22:17] the city

[00:22:17] and,

[00:22:18] you know,

[00:22:18] they've always

[00:22:19] done stuff

[00:22:19] that everybody

[00:22:20] said it's

[00:22:21] undoable

[00:22:22] or not

[00:22:23] sane,

[00:22:24] let's say.

[00:22:28] And they've

[00:22:29] done it

[00:22:30] and it worked

[00:22:30] and they had

[00:22:32] a fun ride

[00:22:32] doing it.

[00:22:33] You know,

[00:22:34] this is how

[00:22:34] I feel.

[00:22:35] I'm actually,

[00:22:36] I feel very,

[00:22:36] very blessed

[00:22:37] to be allowed

[00:22:39] to do this.

[00:22:40] See the links

[00:22:41] in the show notes

[00:22:41] to learn more

[00:22:42] about the scope

[00:22:43] and CGI.

[00:22:45] AutoVision News

[00:22:45] Radio is available

[00:22:46] on the digital

[00:22:47] antennas of

[00:22:48] Spotify,

[00:22:49] Apple Podcasts,

[00:22:50] Podbean,

[00:22:51] and more.

[00:22:51] In Detroit,

[00:22:52] alongside Farouk

[00:22:53] Heblevent,

[00:22:54] I'm Carl Anthony,

[00:22:55] AutoVision News

[00:22:57] Radio.