In a new tourism campaign for Visit Macon, “Legends Loom Large,” creative studio Versus brings the city’s rich musical history into the present, imagining icons including Otis Redding, Little Richard, and the Allman Brothers Band as larger-than-life figures moving through modern-day Macon.
Centered around a visitor exploring downtown, the film reveals these musical legends looming large throughout the city, a visual metaphor for the deep and enduring influence they continue to have on Macon and its culture.
The icons themselves are never fully revealed. Instead, Versus uses clothing, movement, and sheer scale to reference and evoke each artist, allowing their presence to be felt without literally portraying them. As the figures move through Macon’s streets and everyday life carries on around them, the film connects the city’s legendary musical past with a present-day community experiencing renewed economic and cultural growth.
Directed by Versus ECD/Director, Steven Weinzierl, the campaign was concepted, developed, and produced entirely by Versus from start to finish, taking a strategic approach to translating the campaign goals into creative, from concept development through live-action production and visual effects. Set to Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” and created with the involvement of the Otis Redding Foundation and Redding family, the film grounds its imaginative visual approach in an authentic connection to Macon’s cultural history.
The idea was not to create a nostalgic tribute, but to show how the artists who put Macon on the map continue to shape its identity. As downtown development and tourism bring new energy to the city, “Legends Loom Large” positions Macon’s music legacy as something alive, evolving and still central to its future.
Versus combined live-action production on location in Macon with a proprietary AI-powered post-production workflow developed entirely in-house. Using Newt, Versus’ proprietary AI software, the team integrated custom AI workflows alongside traditional visual effects, compositing, and finishing to create the campaign’s larger-than-life musical icons.
The approach allowed Versus to push the scale and imagination of the creative while maintaining the realism, craft, and authenticity of the live-action photography, seamlessly bringing Macon’s musical legends into the city as it exists today.
