Lair NYC brought Odd Global on board to design and produce the background environments for a promotional film for Ruthless Podcast, shot entirely in studio against chroma key.

The brief was to create a series of cinematic background plates that could support the world of the spot while giving the production team a clear visual target before cameras rolled. Working alongside director Thor Raxlen and Executive Producer Mark Aji from job approval, we developed the environments according to the approved storyboards and delivered initial background plates ahead of the shoot.

This allowed each camera position, lighting setup and chroma key scenario to be planned with the final composition already in mind.

The Approach

Rather than treating the AI backgrounds as a post-production add-on, we designed them as part of the production process from the beginning. Each plate was built to serve the specific framing, perspective and lighting direction required for the scene, giving the studio shoot a stronger foundation and helping the live action integrate more naturally into the final world.

Execution

After the shoot, we revisited every background plate and adjusted them to match the captured camera movement, lens choice and composition. Plates were refined, fine-tuning perspective, scale, lighting and visual continuity so the environments sat convincingly behind the talent.

The result was a chroma key production where AI-generated environments became an active part of the filmmaking process, supporting both the shoot and the final composite with precision from pre-production through delivery.

Credits

Client: Ruthless Podcast
Production Company: Lair NYC
Director: Thor Raxlen
Executive Producer: Mark Aji
AI Background Environments: Odd Global
AI Artist: Arthur Machado

One key moment in the spot follows two American voters standing together in front of the Capitol building. Through a seamless AI-generated move, the camera carries them through the Capitol doors and inside the building, arriving at a wide reveal of the House Chamber.

A second sequence presented a different challenge. The Fox News anchors were shot in the studio against chroma key, with a crane executing a combined dolly-in and pedestal-up move that pushes through the group. We generated an AI background plate, a golden-hour wide shot of the Lincoln Memorial and its Reflecting Pool with a gathered crowd, then animated it to precisely match the perspective shift and momentum of the

studio crane move.

The compositing included full feet-to-ground contact, ensuring each presenter sits convincingly on the plaza surface throughout the motion, with the real and AI camera timing locked frame for frame, fully executed by us at Odd Global together with our specialised collaborators.

Credits

Client: FoxNews
Production Company: Lair NYC
Director: Thor Raxlen
Executive Producer: Mark Aji
AI Production: Odd Global
AI Artist: Arthur Machado

(Seamless hair transition from 3D demo to live action shot with A.I.)

Project Snapshot

In three regional cuts, a single strand of 3D-rendered hair blossoms into live-action locks, delivering an “impossible” macro-to-model reveal for Sunsilk / Elidor’s global push.

Challenge

Droga5 São Paulo and VFX studio Voodoo House needed a way to link a conventional CG product demo with a photoreal transition that would hold up across varied hair types and markets, all under a compressed post schedule and budget. 

AI-Driven Solution

We began by re-texturing the hero 3D strand adding fresh cuticle detail, natural sheen, and subtle colour variation to read as perfectly healthy hair at macro scale. From that point, the camera “pulls” outward in a single fluid move: the digitally perfected strand seamlessly expands into the original live-action wide shot. The same pipeline was tailored to three hair types and model plates, ensuring culturally specific beauty cues for an international campaign.

Outcome

All three master films exceeded creative expectations and were delivered on schedule and under budget, enabling Sunsilk to launch simultaneously across territories with no additional shoot days required.

Credits:

AI Artist: Arthur Machado

Agency: Droga5 São Paulo

VFX: Voodoo House