Studio WAVE in times of COVID-19

Studio WAVE in times of COVID-19

We all had ideas about what it is and what it means normally. What about now? We sat down with Tim and Bertel, our creative guys, to get their take on creativity in times of COVID – and what it implied for the Flatlays campaign that we developed for our client Quick-Step.

Tapping into creativity

It has been a really difficult time for many people and businesses. But one thing often keeps us going: creativity. Lots of people tapped into their own and others’ creativity to withstand the solitude of living in pandemic times.

As a creative sport & music agency, WAVE had to overcome some creative challenges as well. Working with athletes and artists is not an easy job nowadays. “You definitely don’t want to be responsible for contaminating top riders at a shoot and preventing them from taking part in a major race,” notes Tim.  

So WAVE had to adapt quickly in terms of creation and production. On the one hand we had to keep creating content around the team. On the other, we couldn’t be around the team. And when we could, we had to limit our team to a minimum, just 1 or 2 people.

Flatlays for Quick-Step: preparation

One of the projects that forced this new way of working was the recent Flatlays campaign featuring sixteen Deceuninck – Quick-Step riders. Whereas we created last year’s Flatlays campaign in a studio with the riders to see what worked best, this year we were confronted with an extremely limited time per rider to get the job done.

“To keep the involvement of the riders to a minimum, we literally went back to the drawing board,” says Bertel. “It’s still the most inspiring way of working, we rediscovered. Every rider got his drawing based on his cycling skills (climbing, sprinting, time trial, leading the pack), his personality and in some cases their favorite course.

New way of working

The rough drawings were then sent to the team so the riders could approve and study their position on the Quick-Step floor. “Oh yeah, we involved the product in an organic way,” blinked Tim. “And it enabled a very efficient shoot”. An added complication was the fact that WAVE could not attend the actual shoot itself, to reduce the number of people present. 

“I must admit that this ‘new’ way of working is something that easily grows on you,” says Bertel. “It’s just the way you organize yourself and the production preparation that needs extra attention… The many COVID tests, however, never will feel ‘natural’.”

Out of the comfort zone

In this case, there really was a need to step outside a comfort zone. While challenging and different in terms of creation and production, the campaign for Quick-Step was no less fun to prepare.  “You often hear that limitations only boost your creativity,” says Tim. “That was certainly true here. So bring it on!”