Beyond the Spectacle: How Juice’s AI-driven VFX elevated the Riyadh Season Boxing promo
Following Juice’s recent feature Campaign Brief Asia wanted to dive deeper into the creative and technical alchemy behind the Riyadh Season boxing promo – a project where operatic grandeur met VFX craft.
Recreating Classical Grandeur in a Digital
Translating the architectural richness of a grand opera house into a digital canvas was a challenge that required both artistry and tech. The fresco-inspired ceiling, starring boxing titans Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, was pivotal in setting the scene. To achieve the level of detail and realism required, AI-enhanced matte painting workflows became instrumental. First, Juice crafted high-resolution digital frescoes and then leveraged AI to refine matte paintings, enhance textures, deepen realism, and speed up the iterative process, ensuring the final look carried weight and authenticity.
Symbolism in Motion: A Chandelier Made of Championships
One of the project’s most striking moments, the chandelier shatter, was a layered fusion of 3D design, practical effects, and dynamic simulations. The chandelier’s first iteration was built entirely in 3D, composed of championship belts, a symbolic nod to the high stakes of the bout. From there, Juice’s VFX artists blended practical elements with procedural glass destruction and atmospheric detailing, ensuring every fragment carried weight and purpose.
Crowd Extensions
Bringing the intensity of the boxing world into a visually operatic space wasn’t just about the grand architecture, it was about scale. Crowd extensions played a crucial role, with the Juice team seamlessly expanding the energy of the dancing crew under the guidance of Juice’s on-set supervisor. By integrating compositing, they ensured fluidity between live-action and digital elements, pushing the realism even further.
A Fusion of Tradition and Innovation
Working within an ambitious timeline, Juice fused craft and AI-enhanced workflows to shape a visual language that captured the director’s vision, built anticipation, and amplified the rematch’s grandeur, delivering both spectacle and depth.