Earlier this year, Google challenged the creative agency R/GA to produce a commercial using its generative video model Veo, and do it in just four weeks. The aim was to make something that truly couldn’t have been made without AI. The result? An experimental film titled “From the Mountains to the City”, created in partnership with luxury fashion brand Moncler.
The process of making the film
In traditional filmmaking, the process follows a strict, linear path – starting with the script, then moving through storyboarding, filming, editing, and post-production. “At no point would you want to go back a step, because it’s cost-prohibitive,” said Nicholas Pringle, chief creative officer, EMEA at R/GA.
With AI, however, the workflow became far more dynamic and adaptable. Flexibility was key, as Veo’s scene prompts often produced unexpected outcomes, requiring the team to adjust and iterate on the fly. “It was slightly terrifying,” added Pringle.
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Facing AI limitations
Adopting AI for this project pushed R/GA to develop a new internal system for collaboration. The agency built an app called Shot Flow, built with Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, which served as “a shared workspace where we could deconstruct every element of a scene,” said Pringle.
Sadie Thoma, director of Google Ads marketing, added that AI-powered filmmaking allows for more “real-time direction.” She explained, “It opens up the aperture for creativity, because you don’t have to shoot exactly what’s in your storyboard.” Still, collaborating with a high-end brand like Moncler required carefully managing that spontaneity to ensure the final product met its exacting standards.
While AI capabilities are advancing quickly, significant limitations remain for creative professionals. Pringle highlighted character consistency as the biggest obstacle, pointing out that in R/GA’s Moncler spot, characters’ appearances changed subtly between shots. Persistent visual glitches, such as the warped tent zipper, also continue to be an issue, with companies like Google yet to fully resolve them.
Beyond the technical hurdles, there are also legal uncertainties surrounding the commercial use of generative AI, adding another layer of complexity for brands and agencies.
While Veo dramatically accelerated the creative workflow, Pringle emphasized that it is not a substitute for human ingenuity. “The combination of all those things made it feel like the vision of people, not just a machine,” Pringle said. “There’s a tool that enables us to create, but it requires human ingenuity, taste, tactical prompting, and understanding how to leverage that technology.”
