How
AKU Natura
was created

Genesis of the project

In accordance with its Code of Conduct, AKU aims to educate its customers, on the principles of sustainability, emphasizing the importance of forests and water in maintaining ecological balance.

This commitment reflects AKU’s motto:

“We feel part of a single ecosystem, social and enviromental. We feel responsible for its balance.”

Idea

To introduce AKU customers to the brand’s mission in the context of sustainability, we decided to develop and shoot three different films.
Each film emphasizes the connection to nature and its importance to people:

"Lungs of the Earth"

Forests – the lungs of the Earth, provide clean air and shelter for countless species. Deforestation, climate change and urbanization are threatening their existence. It’s time to act before it’s too late.

„Water Tower”

Water Tower – the mountainous sources of life are under threat. Every drop matters: to us, future generations and the entire planet. Will we manage to save them?

„Mountains THEN and NOW”

The first highlanders struggled with the harsh conditions of the mountains. Today, AKU shoes guarantee comfort, but the respect for nature remains the same.

Pre-production

MESSAGE

We first defined the main message to the audience, and the purpose of each video to ensure a consistent and engaging narrative.

SCRIPT

Based on the concept, we developed a story and script for each of the films.

SHOT LIST

Once the script was ready, a detailed and organized shot list was created to ensure that every important element of the story in the film was covered.

STORYBOARDS

To better plan each video, we created storyboards that helped us visualize each shot. We used reference images and AI-generated graphics. This allowed us to quickly prototype ideas and dynamically adjust the composition.

The use of AI-based technologies helped us quickly generate realistic frames and refine the composition of scenes, which greatly accelerated the pre-production process.

We were able to translate ideas into concrete images in a very short period of time, which facilitated communication within the team.

The project was perfectly prepared at the implementation stage, which directly translated into better final results.

LOCATIONS

One of the key stages of pre-production was to find suitable locations for shooting (Location Scouting) – places closely related to the story depicted in the films.

Błędów Desert

Most of the shooting for the film “Lungs of the Earth,” was planned in Poland's largest desert, which was created by intensive logging.

The Great Siklawa

The shooting of the film “Water Tower” was planned near the largest waterfall in Poland, which is located in the Tatra Mountains.

Szpiglasowy Peak

The shooting of the film “Mountains THEN and NOW” was planned on one of the most popular trails in the Tatra Mountains

SCENOGRAPHY

To highlight the origin of the paper from which the shoeboxes are made, we created a unique prop – a shoebox made of wood bark.

Each AKU box is made from FSC® certified paper - an aspect we highlighted in the video.

This proves that each AKU box is part of a larger story of sustainability and conservation.

We wanted to show that AKU's partnership with FSC® is not only a choice of materials, but also a commitment to creating a better future.

Production

By carefully planning every aspect of the films - it took us 5 shooting days to shoot the footage. Pre-Production played a key role, already at its stage we knew exactly what our films would look like.

“Mountains THEN and NOW” shooting day

Post-Production

EDITING

During the shooting, more than 500GB of footage was created, which was selected in the first stage and combined into a coherent whole in an editing program.

SOUND DESIGN

Sound played a key role in the editing.
Carefully selected music and sound effects created a unique atmosphere, enhancing the mood of each film.

VISUAL STYLE

We gave each of the films a unique visual style through appropriate color selection in order to most effectively convey the emotions that were to be felt by the audience.
This stage included color correction and color grading.

Camera image - frame in LOG

Frame after color correction in the Rec. 709

Final frame after color grading

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Finally, we used special effects (VFX) and AI-generated images to bring to life phenomena difficult to capture with traditional film methods.

Such as, among others, the drying up of ponds in the Valley of Five Ponds in the Tatra Mountains or the animation of an authentic photo of a Polish Tatras highlander from 1930.

Final version

After three months of intensive work, careful planning and execution, the goal has been achieved: the creation and release of three films as part of the AKU Nature project.

The full films and more information about the project itself can be seen on the official campaign website:

How AKU Natura was created