Animals, Printers + Robots: How We Shot the imageFORCE Series

When Canon approached us to create a promotional video for its new imageFORCE printer line, the brief was clear: bring its three marketing pillars to life. Print Better. Do More. Stay Ahead. The video needed to incorporate the animal imagery from Canon’s current branding, but beyond that, the creative direction was wide open.

The Pitch

We built the concept around a minimalist open world, using sleek, contemporary movement to draw viewers in. Our goal was to create something that felt distinctly different from a typical printer ad, one where the printer was unquestionably the hero. With major innovations across the line, from a redesigned frame and elevated security to enhanced colour technology, we made sure every feature was shown. We also wanted the animal theme to feel refined and intentional: present enough to support the story, but never powerful enough to distract from it.

The result was feature-led videos driven by a floating camera that moves through the space, revealing key innovations alongside voice-over narration. Each pillar was assigned its own colour and animal, creating a clear visual language throughout.

Pre-Production

As soon as the concept was approved, we had one word on our minds: ROBOT. A robotic arm would deliver the smooth, precise movement that mirrored the printers themselves. Just as importantly, it gave us repeatable, consistent motion, essential for seamless jump cuts and stitched-together takes. We chose a Cinebot Mini from 2D House.

Bringing the animals’ shadows to life posed another key challenge. We explored everything from puppets to cut-outs before deciding to create them in post-production. The Cinebot’s reliable, repeatable movement made tracking dramatically easier, sealing the decision. Rather than project shadows directly onto the studio’s back wall, and break the liminal world we were creating, we built a freestanding wall and pedestal to track them onto.

Before committing to the build, the director, cinematographer, and production manager used AI and previsualisation tools to explore, test, and refine the design.

Production

We shot the films across two days at 2D House: one pre-light day and one filming day. It was an ambitious schedule, with three videos and three printers to capture. Extensive prep made all the difference: we mapped every shot at Canon HQ using ladders and Artemis, helping the shoot run with precision. The printers also proved to be exceptionally cooperative performers.

The production day settled into a consistent rhythm: the director shared each mapped shot with the crew, G&E fine-tuned the lighting, and the Cinebot operator mapped the movement with the DP.

Another challenge was the three office environments that the printers were to live in. Each one needed to be filmed in the same way in the three different brand colours and a generic white light. In order to get this done after our pre-light on day one so that day two would be less stressful, the coordination between the director and the art, lighting, and camera teams needed to be precise.

Post-Production

Because the shots were so long and precisely planned, the edit came together efficiently. The VFX team composited the animals into their corresponding films and added feature callout graphics. A final sound mix brought another layer of energy and dynamism to the work.

Once the films were complete, it was time to tackle versioning, an increasingly vital part of every online campaign. Each video needed to work across every social format: 16×9, 9×16, 1:1, and 4:5, both with and without captions. Add French versions, and the final delivery total climbed beyond 100 assets. Staying meticulously organised throughout post-production was essential.

The Films

More from Arc HQ: the VFX breakdown behind Magnet Forensics’ Axiom video.