Of the developer and his heroic rescue

Behind the scenes at the webPDF film shoot

About the challenges of the new webPDF film​

Moving images are part of every marketing mix these days. People love videos. Since we also like to be inspired by video, we commissioned a film shoot for our favorite product, webPDF. Our goal was to show customers in an entertaining format why webPDF is a central PDF solution for (almost) every company. Many already know this, but not all. With the heroic rescue of our developer, that should change soon. But first, let’s start from the beginning.

The claim: Better than a typical explainer movie​

We wanted everything but a boring explainer movie. We had seen that kind of thing too often. But how do you show a software like webPDF on film if there is nothing to touch? No human being who talks to you, no emotions that are triggered? The solution: we create a lively story based on a practical example in which the protagonist, our developer, gets into typically stressful work situations that obviously become too much for him. Something has to happen to get him out of this misery.

Anyone familiar with the hero's journey knows that storytelling is about challenges, about obstacles that have to be overcome. Also about low blows and turning points. In any case, a good story has someone who stands by the protagonist. In our webPDF movie, therefore, a saviour comes into play who helps our developer. He shows him how easily he can accomplish his tasks with the help of webPDF. The saviour explains, for example, that webPDF

  • is quickly integrated into existing workflows

  • supports all common programming languages with its web service API

  • is dynamically scalable

  • can convert and process countless file formats in PDF

An eye-opening moment for the developer, who immediately downloads the webPDF demo version. A real lucky day for him.

The biggest challenges during the shoot and how we overcame them​

The viewer experiences the whole story in only 1:47 minutes. It really is an art to film such a story in such a short time. And that was not even the biggest challenge, because there were several good script ideas.

bildbrauerei GmbH was responsible for the cinematic realisation. York Kolb from the agency BRANDS IN GREEN GmbH was responsible for project management. Both agencies are based in Heidelberg, where the film was shot.

Finding a suitable location was one of the big challenges we - and that means everyone involved in the film project - had to deal with.

Challenge 1

Find a suitable location and a shooting date when all actors are available.
Due to COVID, the entire Print Media Academy in Heidelberg could be used for the shoot, which would have been difficult under normal operating conditions. After casting, we also found a suitable shooting date.

Print Media Academy location 1 Print Media Academy location 2 Print Media Academy location 3

Figure 1: The location, Print Media Academy in Heidelberg.

Challenge 2

Filming in the middle of winter: how do we deal with sparse December daylight?

Fortunately, the weather was kind to us on the shooting day, so the team from bildbrauerei captured the light perfectly, supported by strong technical know-how and experience.

Challenge 3

How do we deal with the echo in the building?

Despite professional equipment such as boom microphones and hidden mics, post-synchronization in German and English was necessary. This was done in the Inspire studio of bildbrauerei GmbH.

Post-synchronization session 1 Post-synchronization session 2 Post-synchronization session 3

Figure 2: Post-synchronization in Inspire Studio.

Admittedly, the coordination between all those involved in the film project was also a bit of a challenge. When many people work on a project, there are different expectations. But if you talk about it openly and clear up misunderstandings, everything is doable. Also a wonderful, entertaining film about a software that gives developers happy days, as in our case.

The why behind this video​

A video for marketing. That’s the short version, and actually only half the truth. This film shoot was about much more. We wanted to show that software can have an emotional impact because it simplifies everyday work. With our products, we always aim to simplify complex tasks so repetitive work can be automated as much as possible. webPDF is exactly that kind of software. Anyone who handles PDF processing for business purposes can benefit significantly from webPDF.

By the way, the invitation in the film to download the free demo version is meant seriously. So what are you waiting for?

Test the free demo version!