Summary:
- DBOX is an international creative agency specializing in brand storytelling for architecture, property, and place.
- DBOX directed the brand film for Bugatti Residences, translating Bugatti’s automotive design heritage into real estate in collaboration with Binghatti.
- To achieve this, DBOX partnered with Chaos to use Chaos Arena, a real-time ray-tracing solution for in-camera visual effects, for its debut commercial project.
- Chaos Arena empowered DBOX to compress weeks of production into days while maintaining visual precision and consistency.
- The Bugatti Residences film received Gold in Direction at this year’s Golden Award of Montreux.
Since 1996, DBOX has created brand campaigns for the world’s leading luxury residential, hospitality, commercial, and cultural projects. Operating across five international studios, the agency’s work has been recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the World Luxury Awards, and the Golden Awards of Montreux.
Géza Kádas joined DBOX in 2012, bringing with him multidisciplinary proficiency and architectural tenure, especially in regard to emerging technologies. Under his leadership, DBOX established its Budapest studio in 2019, now the agency's creative hub for exploring emerging technologies. From Budapest, and in collaboration with the agency’s four other studios worldwide, Géza and his team have delivered cutting-edge campaigns for some of the world's most iconic brands.
When DBOX was engaged to orchestrate a brand film for Bugatti Residences—a collaboration that blends the prestige of Bugatti with Binghatti's innovation in real estate—the perfect canvas emerged to manifest the interplay of craft and technology. With support from the Chaos team, they used Chaos Arena, a groundbreaking real-time ray-tracing solution for in-camera visual effects on virtual production stages. The result was a breathtaking film that not only saved weeks of production time but also allowed the team to make dynamic, on-the-fly creative decisions.
A brand film crafted to honor legacy and embody innovation
In May 2023, the Bugatti Residences by Binghatti were announced. This aspirational project—set to open in 2027—was born of two iconic luxury brands collaborating to create an unprecedented landmark offering a haven for its residents. Located in Dubai, the building merges elegantly flowing curves and French Riviera-inspired elegance in an urban setting. The residences will offer glamorous vistas thanks to expansive glazing and uninterrupted free-flowing interiors complemented by bespoke contemporary elements.
DBOX
To adequately showcase the residences to potential investors and occupants, Bugatti and Binghatti needed to create a brand film that showcased this collaboration and spoke appropriately to their ideal tenants. Knowing this required precision and expertise, they enlisted the help of the DBOX.
“The aspirations of Binghatti and Bugatti to showcase and unify their brands felt particularly aligned with DBOX’s skillset, our global expertise, and recent success with real-time 3D and large-scale virtual production,” said Géza. With the challenge laid down, Géza and the DBOX team knew they needed to produce a film befitting these iconic brands, and even more importantly, something that positioned Bugatti Residences as a natural evolution of the marque—homes conceived with the same precision and performance that define their cars.
Shaping ambition into reality with Chaos Arena
DBOX ventured to unite the vision and heritage of Binghatti and Bugatti through film, crafting a narrative that emphasized their shared design legacy and iconic locations. The concept, "L'expression Ultime," positioned Bugatti Residences within the elite lifestyle landscape, using striking visuals tailored to high-end clientele and brand partners.
With the challenge defined, DBOX turned to cutting-edge real-time virtual production to bring the project to life. The agency was well-prepared, having previously completed Palm Flower in 2022, a flagship project delivered with passion and a full-scale virtual production team, which earned the 2023 World Luxury Award in Branding & Visual Identity. "We invested time into real-time rendering solutions early on as we knew this day would come eventually," Géza explained.
DBOX
The opportunity to use Chaos Arena came at a pivotal moment. Shortly after DBOX Partner Neil Griffiths learned about Arena from Chaos founder Vlado Koylazov, the Bugatti Residences project was initiated. Recognizing the alignment between Arena’s capabilities and the project's desires, the team took the chance to implement it. “We saw great potential,” said Géza. Chaos Arena, he noted, offered “a workflow aligned to our existing production method without the need of laborious scene conversion.”
Following a successful technical rehearsal with Chaos, DBOX naturally adopted Arena into production. Supported on the shoot by the Chaos team, Gézas’ team rapidly integrated Arena’s technology. "Once the systems were running and calibrated, we were able to operate Chaos Arena across the different scenes," Géza recalled. "It is always great to see all the components start to work together around the environments we crafted through care."
DBOX
As production progressed, the benefits of Chaos Arena became increasingly clear. "In complex account projects at DBOX, we manage multiple assets and media outputs that set a precedent for visual quality and atmosphere,” Géza explained. “When producing the film, these qualities need to be translated and recreated in a different software environment. It's a long process paved with technical bottlenecks and limitations. With Chaos Arena on board, all these aspects were reduced greatly, resulting in more room to focus on quality and creativity.
Chaos Arena’s fully ray-traced environment eliminated the need to bake lights or optimize scenes for alternative real-time lighting methods. And, according to Géza, “The materials, with a few minor exceptions, also translate exceptionally well—not to mention the lights.”
The time saved by Chaos Arena had a direct impact on creative flexibility. DBOX could quickly adjust scene lighting or assets in response to art direction. “When everything is in its place, you know you’ve succeeded when experimental creative ideas and alternative camera angles are being pursued,” Géza added.
The outcome: cinematic visuals delivered with unprecedented efficiency
The Bugatti Residences project was an overwhelming success for DBOX. The agency delivered a unique brand film that, as Géza describes, “encapsulates the essence of this unique offering, showcasing a distinctive vision of Bugatti’s first real estate venture—extending the marque’s heritage of design and engineering into architecture”
Central to the film’s storytelling was Lenina, a character created during storyboarding to guide viewers through the narrative. Representing an artificial persona designed to manage residents’ lifestyle, Lenina adds a warm and human touch, her charming French personality symbolizing the project’s French Riviera-themed architectural concept.
Chaos Arena played a key role in streamlining production. “We saved weeks of production time, affecting multiple artists across the wider team,” Géza explained. “This is invaluable in every production with high demands and tight delivery times.”
The integration allowed the various interior and exterior scenes to align with the V-Ray rendered shots, providing a strong foundation for virtual production, saving time and effort. “Compared to preceding methods, we managed to elevate the scenes quicker to a more polished state and secure visual consistency across the whole film,” Géza remarked.
The time saved also empowered DBOX to push creative boundaries on set, exploring ambitious ideas and alternative approaches. As Géza summarized, “Chaos Arena delivered the outcome we were aiming for by providing the artistic freedom that is paramount to us.”
Looking forward: empowering creativity with Chaos Arena
With the Bugatti Residences project completed, Géza and the DBOX team are excited to move on to new challenges. When asked whether they were considering integrating Arena into future projects, Géza answer was definitive: Absolutely.
“Using real-time technology that powers Chaos Arena, we are able to match our aspirations and creativity that our clients expect from DBOX. These new tools to achieve the demands of the real estate industry without compromising on quality.”
DBOX
That commitment has already been recognized. The Bugatti Residences brand film earned Gold in the Direction category at this year’s Golden Award of Montreux, an honor demonstrating the project’s artistic and technical excellence. For DBOX, the award is not just a milestone, it’s proof that their investment in innovation and real-time virtual production continues to set new benchmarks in creative storytelling.
With the ability to integrate real-time ray-tracing on their virtual productions, Arena is quickly becoming an indispensable technology for DBOX’s projects. With weeks of time saved across various production areas, the DBOX team is able to focus on unlocking new levels of creativity, ensuring their clients receive only the highest-quality end results.
Want to unlock efficiency and creativity in your virtual productions? Book your Chaos Arena demo now.