Ponds
A globally broadcast Pond's commercial starring one of Asia's most recognised actresses, Ileana D'Cruz, required invisible VFX before it could air across Middle Eastern markets
Released
Television
Commercial
Project Overview
Pond's Body Lotion is a Unilever brand, one of the most recognised names in personal care across South Asia and the Middle East. This commercial starred Ileana D'Cruz, a prominent Indian actress with a career spanning Hindi cinema and a significant following across the region.
The commercial was produced for a global broadcast rollout, including markets across the Middle East where broadcast standards required the actress's attire to be modified before it could air on television. With the campaign's broadcast window approaching, the production turned to FDK Studios, formerly Blunt Digital, to handle the VFX, with a delivery window of just three to four days.
The Challenge
Solving a broadcast compliance problem under pressure, without simulations, without extra time, and without a second take.
The challenge was specific. Ileana D'Cruz had been filmed in a sleeveless dress, and for the commercial to broadcast across Middle Eastern markets, the sleeve area needed to be covered in a way that felt natural, matched her existing costume, and held up on screen without drawing attention to itself.
What made it technically demanding was the state the footage arrived in. The grade was already baked in, depth of field was locked, and the final look of the commercial was fixed. There was no going back to raw footage. Everything had to be matched to what was already there, fabric texture, colour, focus falloff, all of it painted and composited on top of a finished frame.
Ten shots in total, many of them close to camera, with Ileana moving quickly, turning, shifting her shoulders rapidly throughout. Hand tracking a subject that close to lens, with that much movement, against a locked grade with visible depth of field, is the kind of work that has no shortcuts. Every frame was handled individually. The goal was an invisible result, an audience watching in Saudi Arabia or the UAE with no awareness that anything had been changed. The work had to disappear completely into the broadcast.
No Room for Error
Delivering broadcast-ready VFX for a global Unilever campaign in under a week.
Ten shots. Three to four days. No room for iteration, no time for extended feedback loops, and no margin for anything that does not work first time. The job required moving quickly and making confident decisions about technique, tracking, and paint work without the luxury of stepping back.
The commercial aired. The VFX held. The modification passed without notice, which is exactly what successful invisible VFX looks like. For an urgent delivery on a globally broadcast Unilever campaign, getting ten shots right in that window was the entire measure of the work.
Credits
Client
PONDS, Uniliever
Agency
Ogilvy & Mather
Commissioned by
Red Ape Productions
Talent
Ileana D'Cruz
Role
VFX
Studio
FDK Studios (Formerly Blunt Digital)
More Works
©2026
Ponds
A globally broadcast Pond's commercial starring one of Asia's most recognised actresses, Ileana D'Cruz, required invisible VFX before it could air across Middle Eastern markets
Released
Television
Commercial
Project Overview
Pond's Body Lotion is a Unilever brand, one of the most recognised names in personal care across South Asia and the Middle East. This commercial starred Ileana D'Cruz, a prominent Indian actress with a career spanning Hindi cinema and a significant following across the region.
The commercial was produced for a global broadcast rollout, including markets across the Middle East where broadcast standards required the actress's attire to be modified before it could air on television. With the campaign's broadcast window approaching, the production turned to FDK Studios, formerly Blunt Digital, to handle the VFX, with a delivery window of just three to four days.
The Challenge
Solving a broadcast compliance problem under pressure, without simulations, without extra time, and without a second take.
The challenge was specific. Ileana D'Cruz had been filmed in a sleeveless dress, and for the commercial to broadcast across Middle Eastern markets, the sleeve area needed to be covered in a way that felt natural, matched her existing costume, and held up on screen without drawing attention to itself.
What made it technically demanding was the state the footage arrived in. The grade was already baked in, depth of field was locked, and the final look of the commercial was fixed. There was no going back to raw footage. Everything had to be matched to what was already there, fabric texture, colour, focus falloff, all of it painted and composited on top of a finished frame.
Ten shots in total, many of them close to camera, with Ileana moving quickly, turning, shifting her shoulders rapidly throughout. Hand tracking a subject that close to lens, with that much movement, against a locked grade with visible depth of field, is the kind of work that has no shortcuts. Every frame was handled individually. The goal was an invisible result, an audience watching in Saudi Arabia or the UAE with no awareness that anything had been changed. The work had to disappear completely into the broadcast.
No Room for Error
Delivering broadcast-ready VFX for a global Unilever campaign in under a week.
Ten shots. Three to four days. No room for iteration, no time for extended feedback loops, and no margin for anything that does not work first time. The job required moving quickly and making confident decisions about technique, tracking, and paint work without the luxury of stepping back.
The commercial aired. The VFX held. The modification passed without notice, which is exactly what successful invisible VFX looks like. For an urgent delivery on a globally broadcast Unilever campaign, getting ten shots right in that window was the entire measure of the work.
Credits
Client
PONDS, Uniliever
Agency
Ogilvy & Mather
Commissioned by
Red Ape Productions
Talent
Ileana D'Cruz
Role
VFX
Studio
FDK Studios (Formerly Blunt Digital)
More Works
©2026
Ponds
A globally broadcast Pond's commercial starring one of Asia's most recognised actresses, Ileana D'Cruz, required invisible VFX before it could air across Middle Eastern markets
Released
Television
Commercial
Project Overview
Pond's Body Lotion is a Unilever brand, one of the most recognised names in personal care across South Asia and the Middle East. This commercial starred Ileana D'Cruz, a prominent Indian actress with a career spanning Hindi cinema and a significant following across the region.
The commercial was produced for a global broadcast rollout, including markets across the Middle East where broadcast standards required the actress's attire to be modified before it could air on television. With the campaign's broadcast window approaching, the production turned to FDK Studios, formerly Blunt Digital, to handle the VFX, with a delivery window of just three to four days.
The Challenge
Solving a broadcast compliance problem under pressure, without simulations, without extra time, and without a second take.
The challenge was specific. Ileana D'Cruz had been filmed in a sleeveless dress, and for the commercial to broadcast across Middle Eastern markets, the sleeve area needed to be covered in a way that felt natural, matched her existing costume, and held up on screen without drawing attention to itself.
What made it technically demanding was the state the footage arrived in. The grade was already baked in, depth of field was locked, and the final look of the commercial was fixed. There was no going back to raw footage. Everything had to be matched to what was already there, fabric texture, colour, focus falloff, all of it painted and composited on top of a finished frame.
Ten shots in total, many of them close to camera, with Ileana moving quickly, turning, shifting her shoulders rapidly throughout. Hand tracking a subject that close to lens, with that much movement, against a locked grade with visible depth of field, is the kind of work that has no shortcuts. Every frame was handled individually. The goal was an invisible result, an audience watching in Saudi Arabia or the UAE with no awareness that anything had been changed. The work had to disappear completely into the broadcast.
No Room for Error
Delivering broadcast-ready VFX for a global Unilever campaign in under a week.
Ten shots. Three to four days. No room for iteration, no time for extended feedback loops, and no margin for anything that does not work first time. The job required moving quickly and making confident decisions about technique, tracking, and paint work without the luxury of stepping back.
The commercial aired. The VFX held. The modification passed without notice, which is exactly what successful invisible VFX looks like. For an urgent delivery on a globally broadcast Unilever campaign, getting ten shots right in that window was the entire measure of the work.
Credits
Client
PONDS, Uniliever
Agency
Ogilvy & Mather
Commissioned by
Red Ape Productions
Talent
Ileana D'Cruz
Role
VFX
Studio
FDK Studios (Formerly Blunt Digital)
More Works
©2026
