SyFy – Prototype | Case study

Starting from scratch

It’s not often you’re asked to create a promo for a scripted series when the only thing you have is just that – a script.

As SyFy prepared for their 2016 up-fronts, the network was excited to drop on the science-fiction-consuming public a new original series called Prototype – a fitting title, because that’s pretty much what this property was at the time. They had a green-lit concept in its preliminary stages, with no pilot shot, no trailer in the can, and no test footage to speak of.

That’s where we came in.

here’s what happened next

We worked with the creative team at SyFy to develop concepts for what essentially became a custom “proof of concept” trailer for Prototype.

Taking into account the show’s WIP storyline, we cycled through a bunch of ideas until we landed on one we knew would A) get fans excited, B) speak specifically to concept, and C) be abstract enough to live on as the show began to materialize. The concept of a keynote address, launching a world-changing but anonymous idea, not only suficed to check all three of the above boxes, but embodied both the nature of the show and our task of promoting it in its unfinished, prototypical phase.

Very meta.



SyFy Prototype Trailer (Proof of Concept)_2023

A lot for a little

It’s one thing to deliver premium work on a premium budget. It’s another entirely to do it on a shoestring.

Working within SyFy’s modest budget to invent and execute this quasi-trailer, we were able to do original casting, production design, effects, and music composition – all with the high-end, cinematic value worthy of a science fiction feature.

We shot right in our own backyard, in Memphis, because it was the only place in the nation where we could find a venue that both captured the scale of an epic keynote, and fit our budget. And we shot the entire piece in one day, which, considering the scope of the setups we needed, was a monumental achievement in and of itself. It just goes to show the strategic efficiency of our camera units – of which, on this shoot, there were a total of three.

WE MILKED EVERY SECOND OF THAT 12 HOUR DAY, AND THE RESULTS OF THAT LABOR ARE ON THE SCREEN.

IN-HOUSE HUSTLE

WHEN YOU LINE-ITEMIZE YOUR ENTIRE STAFF TO PULL OF A SMALL-BUDGET SITUATION, PEOPLE GET DISGRUNTLED. BUT NOT AT EVOLVE. QUITE THE CONTRARY. WE THRIVE ON JOBS THAT REQUIRE AN ALL-HANDS-ON-DECK ATTACK.
WE’RE A TIGHT-KNIT TEAM IN EVERY SENSE OF THE MEANING, AND BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IN-HOUSE EVERYTHING- CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT, ON-LOCATION PRODUCTION, INTEGRATED SPECIAL EFFECTS, AND MUSIC COMPOSITION – PROJECTS LIKE THIS BRING OUT OUR BEST AT EVERY LEVEL.