In the latest spot for Vodafone’s 5G GigaCube, viewers are brought into a world where every node of computer and device wonder is reimagined, turning wiring and technology into characters racing to come to life via internet magic. It was our job to bring all of this to life.

From securing a location that could play host to over 300 characters that were styled and dressed with every narrative detail in mind to expertly mixing practical effects, stunts, and build to create our own version of the large internet waiting hall, we blended narrative with mixed mediums of creation to tell a story of internet connection unlike any other.

This project served as our first time working with the team over at Anorak, and it was an incredible experience from beginning to end. Guided by the vision of director Sebastian Strasser (another recent collaborator of ours), Fuad Abed and Anorak’s Christoph Petzenhauser and Bjorn Krueger fused reality and fantasy—from VFX additions thanks to our friends at The Mill to sets that heighten the visual world—to deliver a spot of intergalactic proportions.

We caught up with The Lift’s José Barrera to hear more about this maddening shoot that defied the rules of possibility.

“I was constantly astounded by the scale of what we achieved together with our team and everyone at Anorak. At one point I stood in the middle of the huge set and saw 300 extras in super detailed intricate costumes, a llama, a Zapata lookalike on top of a horse, a weather man with a real shower raining on top of him, a pyramid made out of hundreds of dummies and, of course, Marie Antoinette. It was one of those moments that makes our job truly unique; it left me with a huge sense of reward thinking back to all of the sweat and hard work that it took to get there and all the challenges we had to endure. In looking at the scene in front of me, it was all worth it.”

Be sure to watch the spot above and check out some behind the scenes shots, below!