A client came to us with a high stakes, Google-facing pitch. At first, it sounded simple. “We just need a little help with the UI.” Once we dug in, it was clear they actually needed something very specific:

A bespoke Google style messaging UI interacting with live footage, matched one-to-one to a reference.

And it had to be pitch ready in 24 hours.

Client: Confidential, Google-facing pitch

Turnaround time: 24 hours

Deliverable: Live action and motion design composite with Google style messaging VFX

Goal: Make the video feel realistic and blow the viewers’ socks off

Tools used: After Effects, Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve Studio, Mocha Pro, Illustrator, Figma

Now we’re no stranger to filming video, that’s how Optious was started actually.

Visual Effects (VFX) combine live-action footage with digital elements to create visuals that brings motion graphics to life. In this project, we were going to add a Google-style search circle into real footage, with the power of motion tracking and rotoscoping.

The real ask behind “just some UI”

On the first call I did what I always do: slow things down for ten minutes so we can go faster later.

Once we talked it through, the real ask looked like this:

• Shoot live action of the phone in a realistic environment
• Rebuild Google style messaging UI from scratch
• Match the reference one-to-one so it felt truly native
• Composite everything so it looked like actual phone footage, not a fake overlay

That is a lot of work for any timeline, let alone 24 hours. Not to mention this is our first pitch video ever. So we made a focused plan.

To collapse the timeline without cutting corners, we did three things very fast and very clean:

Clarified the target.

I confirmed the expectations on the call and committed to a 24 hour first draft. Everyone knew exactly what “done” meant.

Locked the production plan

Pulled out lights, camera, and cine lenses

Planned the shots so we would not waste a single setup. Confirmed how the UI would behave on screen, tap by tap. Split the work across the team. I handled the client, planning, and overall creative direction

We sourced and rebuilt the Google style UI, then customized it in Figma. Tristen handled rotoscoping and timing so the UI felt like it truly lived on the phone. While footage was being reviewed, UI and animation were already in motion. No waiting in line.

For most projects the client comes to us with certain things they want us to put in their video.

Not this one. As it was a pitch, we were technically our own client. (Most times we are)

But this also meant we had to come up with the direction, ideas, and visuals by ourselves. Everything was done in-house which is how we got it done so fast.

One of the aspects we needed to nail was the Android phone UI.

Now Google doesn’t just give out their UI for free (trust us we looked) so this meant we had to do it ourselves. This meant hours were spent replicating the look with fully editable vector shape layers.

Every line, color, and gradient had to match to maintain the illusion✨.

In just under 24 hours, we had a pitch ready first draft. Live action plate, lit and shot with cine lenses. Custom Google style UI rebuilt and tailored to the story. Tight composite that felt like native phone footage. Pacing and timing tuned for a high stakes pitch

When I showed my wife the early cut, she thought the UI was native. That is exactly how close we got to the reference.

We planned ahead of time to have the camera stay in one place so we wouldn’t have to spend more time than needed on tracking.

That didn’t save us from all the rotoscoping though :).

Rotoscoping comprised of drawing masks on the thumb and part of hand over the phone to accurately place it over our digital screen recreation. And it would have to be accurate down to the nearest pixel, every single frame. As well as the UI having to match the

It’s kind of like frame by frame animation when you think about it.

Time collapse is not magic. It is the result of 25 plus years of doing almost everything around a business:

• Running online ecommerce in the early 2000s with products sold worldwide
• Building and funding businesses in web development, marketing, SEO, PPC, and SEM
• Programming on the server side and building servers, rigs, and networks
• Designing packaging, magazine ads, trade show visuals, and ecommerce sites
• Doing cinematography, video editing, audio, and post

That mix of leadership, hands-on technical skill, and design experience became the foundation for Optious. It is why we can look at your project not just as “a video,” but as part of your funnel, your brand, and your long term strategy.

If you have an upcoming launch or pitch where the timeline is tight but quality still has to be high, reach out.

We have delivered videos in 72, 48, and 24 hours for companies presenting to names like Google, and we keep the same quality bar on every project.

• The creative looks nice, but misses the strategy
• The team follows a template instead of your brief
• Feedback loops stretch on for weeks
• “Fast” comes with rush fees or quality tradeoffs
• You end up managing the creative instead of focusing on your job

What we actually do differently

• True 1:1 creative partnership
  You are not handed off to a junior team or shuffled through a queue. Your goals drive every decision.
• Tight production windows
  Not rush jobs. Not shortcuts. This is our default operating system.
• Strategy baked into the creative
  We answer questions you have not even asked yet, because we have seen the patterns across hundreds of projects.
• Clear checkpoints and tight feedback loops
  You are never guessing where the project stands or what is coming next.
• Brand first, always
  Speed never overrides tone, positioning, or story. Ever.
• No “that’s not included” surprises
  We focus on outcomes, not line-item gymnastics.

• A high-stakes pitch or investor presentation
• A product or SaaS launch
• A sales or GTM video that actually converts
• A brand moment that cannot miss