Experiential Activation

RCB × Visit Qatar · 2024

The audience was not just watching a film. They were standing in front of an experience designed to respond to them.

For the RCB and Visit Qatar activation, a digital portal in Doha brought fans into an apparent encounter with the players. The player material was recorded in India against green screen, with gestures and lines aligned to pre-timed cues. It was then composited with backgrounds to make the exchanges feel connected.

Two sides of an encounter

This kind of work asks a different question from an ordinary commercial. A film controls its own sequence. An activation also has to accommodate the behaviour of a person who has not read the script.

Timing becomes part of the experience. A reaction needs to arrive at a moment that makes sense to the fan, and the recorded performance needs enough clarity to suggest a believable exchange. The technology supports the encounter, but the encounter is what the audience remembers.

Production beyond a single set

The project also involved filming across three locations in Doha, combining staged material with real interactions. That gives the finished documentation two responsibilities: communicate the idea of the portal and preserve the human response that makes the idea worth showing.

For me, this is a useful example of directing beyond the boundaries of a conventional film. Performance, timing and composition still matter, but they have to work inside a designed experience rather than only inside an edit.

The player footage was pre-recorded; the fan reaction was the live element. Keeping that distinction clear makes the craft more interesting, not less. The work succeeds when separate pieces of production combine into a moment that feels immediate to the person taking part.