Manhattan West VFX breakdown. Welcome to a behind-the-scenes look at how we produced the stunning Manhattan West real estate film.

For Brookfield’s Manhattan West development, we were briefed to produce a film that would sit within the client’s Sales Center in order to drive new tenants for their retail and commercial offering. Our goal was to create a new paradigm within the real estate sector. A free flowing “talking heads” film, which is both explanatory and emotive, and that appeals to an extremely wide audience.

The Manhattan West real estate film is our most successful production. Having won seven different awards, it highlights everything that we specialise in all in one fantastic film.

The truly remarkable thing about creating a film for real estate is that we are able to make productions that are not just explanatory but also expressive and emotive. In the case of Manhattan West, we achieved that by building a free-flowing documentary-style film.

The client on this project didn’t want a montage of shots or a fly-through-style video. They wanted us to create something credible that felt genuine and depicted the real life of the area itself. At River Film, we decided that we wanted to steer clear of a talking heads type of production. Instead, we opted for short, big-hitting testimonials in snippets and soundbites to create an authentic feel.

By leveraging sector experts and local people, we were able to create something that allows the viewers to understand the lifestyle and experiences they would encounter. What’s more, when you get a genuine performance from an everyday individual, it brings credibility and adds a life that simply can’t be created in a studio. The testimonials in this project meant an incredible amount to the River Film team, and we went to a lot of trouble to find them.

This project sums up what we do at River Film London better than almost any amount of words could. It brings together all of our technical knowledge as well as a free-flowing creative and narrative to build a film of which we are incredibly proud.