Create a cinematic opening film for HubSpot's INBOUND conference that would inspire 10,000+ attendees and embody the company's core philosophy of "Grow Better" versus the industry's "grow at all costs" mentality.
As co-writer, director and DP, I conceptualized a visual narrative that would make the audience feel the weight of choosing a different path. The film follows characters moving from a world of pressure and constraint into a luminous landscape of possibility, a metaphor for embracing HubSpot's philosophy. This transformation was built into every element of the film:
The Constrained World: To capture the "grow at all costs" mindset, I used cool, desaturated tones, jarring kinetic energy, and a tense, staccato score. I framed this world in a standard aspect ratio, confining the image to the center of the massive stage screen to create a visual metaphor for limitation and pressure.
The Expansive Choice: The pivotal moment of "The Hard Choice" triggers a complete sensory shift. The score swells into a high-energy anthem as the visuals bloom into a warm, orange-bathed world built from light, the signature of HubSpot's brand color. Simultaneously, the image dramatically expands to fill the entire ultra-widescreen, creating a physical sense of release and possibility for everyone in the room.
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"The Hard Choice" successfully translated a business philosophy into a multi-sensory story. By integrating the physical architecture of the venue into the narrative, the film set a defiant, inspiring tone for CEO Brian Halligan's keynote and created an emotional foundation that connected the audience to the conference's core message before the first speaker ever took the stage.