Amp Launch
Creating Amp: Part 3 of 3
Overview
After more than a year in development, launch day for the Amp finally arrived. This launch coincided with the roll out of a marketing campaign called Ride on the Bright Side, and required many different assets to be created and ready to go. From marketing videos, landing pages, press presentations and how-to videos, the launch of Amp was the first time the world (and most Lyft employees) saw what an Amp looked like. This was the first real planned press event I was heavily involved in, and it was incredibly exciting to witness our hard work finally being seen by the world.
Photo by Max Morse
Landing Page
As drivers began hearing about Amp through e-mails and notifications, they would be funneled to the landing page I developed and Teemu J. Luoma designed. Teemu was responsible for the Amp packaging, as well and all graphic design related materials. The main goal of this landing page, initially, was to provide an easy sign-up for drivers who qualified for Amps. If a driver didn't qualify, they were given an explanation instantly. This page was Lyft's first public landing page that was translated into Spanish and required me me to develop two pages under one design.
Launch Video
The Lyft crew (left) takes a quick break while the next shot is setup for the launch video.
The night before we announced Amp, I worked into the early morning rendering around 10 different shots to be handed off to Adam Leao & Matthew Law to compile into one video. Matthew Law also compositied the app screen into the first shot and helped guide the VFX process. Adam Leao edited the video and worked back and forth with me to enhance each shot he picked with animation. I recreated many moves in After Effects that Adam set up, but I also completely animated the cars spread out in 3D space. Everything from about 20 seconds on is completely created in After Effects by myself, and most shots prior to this had subtle animation added.
Press Event
Prior to this launch, most Lyft press events were smaller and not as structured. This event required three separate rooms to experience the Amp's launch. Attendees were introduced to the new campaign ads and the launch video in the first room to set the stage. The second room was for demoing the Amp and explaining how it functions. Lastly, the third room was to interact with Amps on display and ask questions directly to specific Lyft employees.
Inside room two of the press event. Each car had its own Amp and there was a giant LED wall to show the animated presentation. Teemu (pictured above) handled all the still slides and controlled the timing of the slide show. Ethan Eyler presented in the middle of the room. I manually controlled all of the Amps during each presentation.
I created an animated presentation to introduce Amp and six different playlists of animations to demo the Amp. I had to be present in room two all day because the Amps needed to be triggered in time with the presentation. I had 25 Amps I was tracking and controlling throughout the day, and since these were not final units, their batteries drained, requiring me to swap them out hourly.
Room three included: demo Amps to hold, tables for interviews, a video loop including the launch video, and large Amp related photography.
How-to Video
I played an advisory role throughout the video, and answered all Amp related questions. I was responsible for making sure the Amps did what they were supposed to during filming. This project was directed/shot by Matthew Law, produced by Erin Kemp Burke, and also shot by Adam Leao and Allen Danze. A number of the Lyft Creative team were involved as well, and several appear in the video, including me. You can even see me drive by in the very last shot — ok, technically just my arms drive by.
Creating Amp Series
This project is part 3 of 3 in a series.
Be sure to check out the other two parts.
Amp Animations
Creating Amp: Part 1
Amp Product Design
Creating Amp: Part 2