Alice in Node-Land Campaign

‍

dRPC Punching Beyond Its Weight with the Alice in Node-Land Campaign

‍

Making a Splash in the Blockchain Space

dRPC is operating in the technical niche space of web3 infrastructure. They provide node connectivity for data sharing, a fundamental block of blockcain-based applications. Last year, dRPC’s CMO, Fito Benitez, first approached us to create a concept that would enhance the engagement of their conference giveaways that revolved around movie gimmicks. because they wanted to make a splash at EthDenver. Last year, we created some visuals with AI that helped them test the waters with some film-related merchandise (The Node-Father, The Node-Runner, etc). The success of this small creative campaign helped them gain the brand visibility they were looking for and was the confirmation they needed to evolve the activity into a deeper and wider campaign for EthDenver, where we recommended an AI-generated short film to take the stage at the center of the activity.

‍

Developing the AI-supported short film: Alice in Node-Land

After ideation, quick testing, and fast iteration on draft scripts and concepts exploring how we would integrate the themes of blockchain and decentralisation, we decided that the film would be based on Alice in Wonderland.

The campaign consisted of the following:

• The 10-minute short film, Alice in Node-Land
• Various trailers and teasers
• A mobile cinema that followed a defined route through Denver each day, hitting popular side events and partner events
• A heavily themed trade show booth featuring Alice in Node-Land characters and visuals, creating a full brand takeover to promote the film and raise awareness of dRPC
• An AI photo booth allowing attendees to transform themselves into Alice in Node-Land characters and share images online
• Alice-themed special merch

‍

‍

Establishing the Right Workflow

Our first task was to develop the style and settle on the right workflow to create the film. There were many ways we could have done it and many tools on offer, so the first job was to test and narrow down the tools to build a working production pipeline. We had already decided that, due to a limited budget and as an opportunity to deep dive into AI video tools, we would produce the film entirely in-house.

‍‍

Selecting AI Tools for Production

Our considerations were: Character and world consistency meant that we needed to explore an image-to-video workflow, which ruled out some of the new "hot" tools like VEO2. Eventually, after much trial and error, we decided to use:

• Kling 1.6 for its natural movement and physics
• Runway Act One to bring the interviews to life
• Hailou 01-live & Sora for atmospheric and action shots
• Flux Turbo for the image models and images
• Photoshop & Topaz for upscaling video and images
• Suno for the music
• Eleven Labs for some voice work
• Sync IO for additional syncing

Even though AI-generated audio seemed the most mature technology, we ultimately decided to have actors perform the voices and use Runway Act One for performances, ensuring the characters felt natural rather than wooden or uncanny.‍

Challenges and Solutions

The challenges we faced were:

• Some AI tools are still buggy and can respond unpredictably, requiring time and patience to get the best results.
• Each tool requires a different prompting logic.
• Any workflow involving multiple tools, constant exporting, and importing demands a high level of organisation.
• The rapid release of new AI tools made it tempting to keep testing rather than locking down a workflow—this was particularly important given our six-week timeline from project kickoff to delivery.

‍

Advantages of AI in Production

The advantages were immense. We were able to:

• Quickly iterate on world design and characters, responding to client feedback and shaping a great aesthetic.
• Develop characters efficiently—AI is supercharging this aspect of animation.
• Accelerate animation once the tools were locked down, allowing extra time for story details.
• Add last-minute creative elements, such as the smoking caterpillar, which became a fun highlight of the film.

‍

Campaign Results and Impact

With a build-up on social media before the event, we were ready to go!

Out of 95,000 attendees, 650 sponsors, 4,000 teams, and 15,000 builders at EthDenver 2025, we achieved

• ‍3rd most viewed video in EthDenver, with 2 videos in the top 10 of all brands, and four videos in the top 30 
• 73,000 views of Alice in Node-Land over the weekend, with 93,000 lifetime views to date
• 300K+ impressions on X from a mix of the film, teasers, clips, photo booth images, and merch shoutouts
• 10% increase in X followers (from 8000 to 8800)
• 40% increase in website visitors (lower bounce rates, and increased time on site)

Alice in Node-Land was a hit!
‍

Here’s what our customer had to say about the cooperation with MXM:

‘Working with Make X Media on Alice in Nodeland was an incredible experience. Their AI production skills and cutting-edge toolsets were invaluable, but what truly set them apart was their deep expertise in advertising and film. They helped craft a compelling narrative and format that truly resonates with our target audience. Leandro, in particular, ensured everyone had a voice in the process, fostering collaboration and innovation. His passion for excellence and relentless drive to push creative boundaries made all the difference—he always goes the extra mile to deliver outstanding results. Plus, the Alice in Node-land AI photo booth at the conference was a huge hit—fun, engaging, and a perfect way to bring the story to life!’

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍