What happens when Marc Jacobs Beauty and Google Flow take on New York?

For the launch of the new Marc Jacobs Beauty line, SUPERHEROES created ‘How to New York’ – a beauty film where applying makeup doesn’t just change your look, but changes the world around you. The playful creativity of AI comes to life without losing the raw, unexpectedness that makes New York, well, New York.

Our hero, Vienna Skye (opens in new tab), takes to the streets of NYC, applying Marc Jacobs Beauty as she moves through the city. Then… things start to shift.

With every product moment, the world around her becomes a little more unexpected. Streets transform, buildings change, and subway cars get a full makeover.

The footage stays real. The city does not.

“It was great fun to come up with creative ways to integrate the textures and shapes of the products into the films, taking what we know and love about Marc Jacobs Beauty to make NYC come to life. We used Google Flow's generative video models, including Veo for scene generation and Omni for stills, and layered them into the live-action shoot,” said JIMMY artists EtherealMoon.

Hybrid production

New York-based director and cinematographer Mike Klubeck (Apple, Ray-Ban, Calvin Klein, Dior) shot the film, bringing a sharp, cinematic style that matches the brand's fashion background. The team kept the human element at the center, with a real crew, a real director, and creator Vienna Skye as the main subject. AI was used to expand what the camera could show, making the setting and story more engaging for viewers who scroll quickly.

"The opportunity was more than adding AI effects to a live-action film. It was finding the point where the real and imaginary world could mix," said Rogier Vijverberg, chief creative hero at SuperHeroes and founder of JIMMY. "Shooting in New York gave us real street scenes and the energy of the city. Working with artists in Google Flow let us make the city play along."

The campaign consists of 11 films and runs on YouTube and a range of other social channels and is an example of how AI and human craft merge in modern-day hybrid productions, shaped by close collaboration among artists, creators and brands.