At Coolbox, we love taking on creative challenges, and our recent project with Chopstix was no exception. We were commissioned to create a promotional video that showcased their delicious food and highlighted the customer journey. In this behind-the-scenes breakdown, we’re pulling back the curtain on how we made it all happen— from high-speed slow-mo shots to anime-inspired effects.
Day 1: Slow-Mo Cooking in the Studio
To capture the vibrant energy and mouth-watering appeal of Chopstix’s dishes, we dedicated our first day of filming to slow-motion cooking shots. Our goal? To make the food look as dynamic and appetizing as possible.
The Overhead Shot Setup
We started with an overhead shot of various ingredients dropping into a sizzling wok. To get this dramatic perspective, we built an elaborate scaffolding rig to support the Phantom VEO 4K camera— a beast of a camera capable of shooting at an incredible 1,000 frames per second. This rig had to be rock-solid to ensure the heavy camera stayed perfectly stable during each take.
Shooting at such a high frame rate meant we needed an enormous amount of light to capture every detail in crisp clarity. We used:
- One 2×1 light panel and two 1×1 panels to flood the scene with consistent light.
- A 300D light to add depth and shape, giving the food a deliciously vibrant appearance.
We had to repeat the shot multiple times, as the food naturally fell in unpredictable ways. But when it worked, the result was nothing short of spectacular— vibrant vegetables and juicy proteins tumbling into the wok in mesmerizing slow motion.
Day 2: Capturing the Customer Experience On Location
For the second day, we took our cameras to a Chopstix restaurant just north of Manchester. Since the location was open to the public, we had to wait until 10 p.m. to begin setting up. Filming went on until 3 a.m., but the late hours were worth it to get the perfect shots.
Blocking and Lighting Challenges
After the restaurant cleared out, we reviewed the storyboard with Chopstix’s marketing team, ensuring everyone was on the same page. We then blocked out the scene to coordinate the actors’ movements and camera angles.
One of the biggest challenges was lighting. With limited control over the restaurant’s house lights, we had to get creative. We:
- Matched the camera’s white balance and exposure to the existing house lights.
- Used a mobile 1×1 light panel held by a crew member to follow the actors, adding subtle highlights and avoiding the flat, unflattering look from overhead lights alone.
This setup gave us the flexibility to shape the light around the actors’ faces, ensuring the scene felt lively and dynamic.
Post-Production Magic: Anime-Inspired Effects
One of the most unique requests from the client was to create an anime-inspired effect, where the actors appeared to be cut out from their background and surrounded by dynamic speed lines.
Shooting for the Effect
To achieve this, we filmed each actor twice:
- With the regular background to capture all the natural details.
- Against a clean plate— an empty version of the scene to allow us to isolate the actors.
Frame-by-Frame Animation
In post-production, we painstakingly rotoscoped the actors frame by frame, meticulously cutting them out from the background. This was especially challenging because both actors had very curly hair, requiring careful attention to detail.
To complete the effect, we added multiple layers of animated speed lines that rushed past the actors, creating the illusion of rapid movement. We also color-coded the backgrounds— blue for the male actor and red for the female— to create striking visual contrast.
The Final Touch: The Confetti Cannon Trick
One of the most fun (and surprisingly complicated) shots was of Chopstix’s food magically flying back into one of their signature red boxes. We wanted to make it look like the food was assembling itself in reverse.
To achieve this:
- We modified a confetti cannon, emptying out the confetti and placing it under a hole in the bottom of the box.
- When triggered, the cannon exploded the food out of the box.
- In post-production, we simply reversed the footage to make it look like the food was leaping perfectly into place.
However, there was a small hiccup— a tear appeared on the side of the box from the pressure of the explosion. To fix this, we carefully painted over the tear frame by frame, ensuring the box looked flawless throughout the animation.
Creating the Chopstix promo video was a true team effort, filled with creative problem-solving and innovative techniques. From complex lighting setups to painstaking post-production effects, every detail was crafted to bring Chopstix’s vibrant customer journey to life.