Meta Quest 3 | Realize Music

January 3, 2025

Concept

We were super excited about collaborating with Realize Music and Meta for this campaign, “Sing for Yourself." We were tasked to create the trailer for the upcoming video game Realize Music: Sing, exclusively played on Meta Quest devices. The concept seamlessly blends music and absurdity in several different settings, juxtaposing the power of music and how far we will go to enjoy it…. To sing for ourselves.

Director Thom Klundt brought the concept to life with a stunning visual plan to capture the Meta Quest goggles and our hero as he ventures from a bar, bedroom, card house, dining room, and even a live concert. Our hero loses his wife, house, and friends, but he ultimately ends up on top because one thing we know for sure is this - he wins whenever he can sing the classic tune, “The House of the Rising Sun.”

Our goal for this project was to ensure that all content and assets were prepared for Realize’s social platforms in time for the game’s launch. This endeavor came with a challenging timeline. However, thanks to the exceptional teamwork of Salado and our crew, we not only met the deadline but exceeded expectations, delivering a final product we are proud to share.

Tone & Feel

The cinematography needed to capture fine details and the larger picture of the world we tried to create. Director Thom Klundt's vision called for deliberate, precise visuals, highlighting our hero’s journey in each location. The composition, lens choice, and lighting between our hero and the setting’s elements were vital to our storytelling.

Our DoP, the talented Dino Maglaris, collaborated closely with Thom to craft the perfect imagery and lighting for the shoot while operating the Alexa 35. Together, using our hero’s arc as a road map, they looked to convey the essence and emotion of each setting. Immersing the audience in the experience one feels when putting on the Meta Quest goggles, they achieved this by harnessing stylistic lighting and camera moves. The two were prepared for the undertaking partly because of a very clear storyboard.

Production

With a tight timeline for our deliverables, our team was all hands on deck to make this happen. We handled everything from locations, castings, props, and wardrobe before eventually shooting the project over four days in and around Austin, Texas. It was an exciting opportunity to shoot with an incredible crew, and on top of this, we were fortunate to have cast and worked with over ten key roles on the project.

The shot list was long and included several different locations and set builds in our tight schedule, but our nimble crew was able to move quickly and efficiently. Our ability to execute without sacrificing quality and artistic vision we are really proud of. Thom and Dino worked together to align vision with reality and the visuals that came out of this collaboration are some of our favorite yet.

Post-Production

Once we wrapped on the shoot, our team immediately transitioned into post-production. Our director took care of the edit, we handled color.

We enjoyed seeing the project take shape during post-production, and it underscored our capability to deliver on a deadline. We’re thankful to have had the opportunity to collaborate on this project with Realize Music and Meta and to have worked with such an exceptional crew.