EXE DAY 003 Showing a Stage at Alexander Nevsky Before It Was Built
By close friends.
How do you show people a stage that doesn't exist yet, in front of a building everyone in Bulgaria already knows?
For DAY 003, EXE closed the street in front of St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia for an afternoon of electronic music. The announcement film had to show what that would look like. We created its AI elements, from the stage beside the cathedral to the people, the glasses and the cat that slip into the live action.
At a glance
Street closed
Date
19.09.2026
- Client
- EXE
- Event
- DAY 003, the third edition of EXE's DAY series, with ARTBAT, Omiki, Pavel Petrov and Peppou
- Location
- St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Oborishte Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Project
- “What is DAY 003”, the event's announcement film
- Our role
- AI-generated elements within the live-action film: the stage at the cathedral, the dancer and passers-by, the glasses and the cat
Oborishte Street · Sofia · for an afternoon of electronic music
Key highlights
- 1of Bulgaria's best-known landmarks, shown with the stage before it went up
- 4types of AI visuals featured alongside live-action footage
The challenge: an event nobody could picture
A street party beside St Alexander Nevsky is hard to imagine until you see it. The announcement came before the stage was built. The location was real and familiar, but the event setup people were being invited to experience wasn't there yet.
The film had to show the real plan without overselling it, and without treating one of the country's most recognisable buildings as a backdrop for effects.
the street, as filmed. nothing to see. yet.
Our approach
Build the set before it was built.
We used AI to visualise the planned stage, speaker towers and lighting setup beside the cathedral, giving viewers a preview of how the event would transform the street.
how the shot was made ↓
- Live action
1 The street as filmed
Reference2 The stage, placed in the plaza
- AI
3 The shot in the film
Leave the landmark alone.
The cathedral remained the recognisable centre of the scene. Rather than redesigning the landmark, we focused on showing what the event would add to its surroundings. As the film itself puts it, there's no need to make yourself more interesting than Alexander Nevsky.
Hide the AI in plain sight.
Not every AI shot announces itself. A dancer in a black T-shirt, people walking past, a cat and a pair of glasses stacked on another pair sit inside the live action as small details. They bring humour and unexpected movement into the film without turning every AI moment into a visual spectacle.
- 1:10 in the film
The dancer in the black T-shirt
- 1:38 in the film
A pair of glasses on another pair
- 2:23 in the film
The cat on the bin
The result: the street seen before the stage arrived
DAY 003 took place on 19 September 2026. Ahead of the event, the announcement film gave viewers a preview of the planned stage beside the cathedral, alongside the unexpected moments that gave the film its character.
The cathedral didn't need any help. The street just needed showing.
AI event film FAQ
the short answers.
Yes. For EXE DAY 003, close friends. used AI to visualise the planned stage, speaker towers and lighting setup beside St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral before construction. The footage helped viewers picture how the event would transform a familiar city street ahead of 19 September 2026.
Yes, and small details often work best. In the DAY 003 film, close friends. created an AI-generated dancer, passers-by, a cat and a pair of stacked glasses for a film led by a real presenter, so the AI supports the live action rather than replacing it.
Let the landmark stay itself and show only what the event adds. In the DAY 003 announcement, St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral stays the recognisable centre of every shot, while AI adds the stage and rigging beside it. The building does the persuading, and the film shows how the day will fit around it.
No. The film combines live-action footage with AI-generated elements created by close friends. Those included the planned stage beside St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a dancing character and passers-by, the stacked glasses and the cat, each designed to work within the presenter-led scenes.
Announcing an event in a place people know?
A landmark, a closed street or a venue that hasn't been dressed yet. Tell us what you're planning, and we'll show your audience the day before it happens.
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