What you see in this promotional clip could easily be from the PS2. In fact, these are handcrafted effects.
We could try to explain the video below, but pictures are worth a thousand words.
So before we dive into the article, check out the (promotional) clip below and get transported 25 years back in time.
At first glance, the clip’s visuals look like they’re straight out of the good old days of GTA 3.
- Angular faces
- Flat clothing
- Boxy cars
- Gray-tinted look
- No shadows
The only thing that doesn’t fit:The people move too smoothly—and that’s when you realize this isn’t a game.
Most of this commercial was created using practical effects, yet it still looks like a PS2 game from the early 2000s. By the way, the clip was produced by Coinbase, a publicly traded crypto company.
In an interview, the director explains how it was even possible to replicate this look in real life.
On a technical level, the following factors play a key role:
- The set in which the actors and actresses move has been deliberately created with a visually low resolution.
- There are both miniatures (such as those used, for example, in
The Lord of the Rings
) and a real set on which the actors and actresses move. - The actors’ and actresses’ costumes were specially designed and printed to look like 2D assets.
- To give the characters’ faces a blocky appearance, the actors and actresses wear Lycra masks featuring their own faces.
- Even the triangle that the main character chases was manipulated by a puppeteer whenever possible.
Of course, the actors were also encouraged to move as stiffly as possible—just like video game characters did in early console titles. You can see this on the
In the comments, people are raving about the authentic look.
The coolest ad I’ve seen in a long time.
stephanie.wise
I’ve watched the clip seven times and I’m still wondering how they did it.
petermosiman
Related to this topic:
- GTA 6 can’t compete with this: Because of something we throw away every day, another game is the best I’ve seen in a long time
- Swings, wheelchairs, holes in the ground: Cutting the female lead in *Predator Badlands* in half required a lot of practical effects
While the new *Lord of the Rings* movie is generating little enthusiasm due to its use of AI, this commercial shows just how far you can go with creativity and handmade effects.
Decades ago, we couldn’t depict people and game worlds any better; today, we long for those days, if the reactions to the promotional video are anything to go by—and with a little creative flair, we can even bring GTA 3 to life with its crude polygons.
