At Trilix, our videos don’t just tell stories. They build entire worlds. Sometimes literally. Need a radioactive pepper crate? A rusty barrel that glows? A laser powered by a googly-eyed switch? You’re in our wheelhouse.
Props like these aren’t just fun details — they’re crucial to our storytelling, especially in high-concept campaigns like Iowa One Call’s “Risky Ronnie.” Ronnie’s chaotic DIY life needs a chaotic DIY world, and our video team is more than happy to oblige.
Take the upcoming “Science Fair” spot (stay tuned for it!). To build Ronnie’s oversized laser, our team didn’t replicate any real-world object. Instead, we mashed up influences from “Star Wars,” “Ghostbusters,” “Back to the Future” and more to create something totally original: a seven-foot-long prop made of foam, PVC pipe, wood and, yes, googly eyes to imitate metal.
It’s a textbook example of a “skeuomorph,” where materials are manipulated to look like something else (in this case, convincingly metallic). Even a stirring stick has a job to do — like the hockey stick Ronnie dips into a vat of hot sauce and pulls out charred. It tells you who Ronnie is before he ever speaks a word.
“When you only have 30 seconds of airtime, there’s no time for backstory. So we let the little things, like props, do the heavy lifting.”
Nick Mongar, lead lighting design/visual development at Trilix
In the “Electric Vehicle” commercial, we went even deeper. Ronnie’s DIY power switch wasn’t just for show. It had functioning lights wired in, safety toggles that clicked and custom-painted weathering that made it feel like it had lived in his garage for years. Look closely, and you’ll see labels like “zap,” “rotor” and “atoms” on the panel.
“These are things that most people watching the spot probably won’t notice. But for the 1% that do, it’s just that extra level of detail that doesn’t take much extra time but does so much more to ground this as a real piece of equipment that Ronnie would use.”
Nick Mongar, lead lighting design/visual development at Trilix
At Trilix, that’s what we’re all about. From sketch to screen, our video crew builds the pieces that bring big ideas to life — one prop, one burnt hockey stick and one googly-eyed laser at a time.
Want your next video to say something before a single line is spoken? We’ve got the crew (and the hot sauce stains) to make it happen. Connect with us today.