Produced by Black and Cameron and directed by Bullit’s Anthony Leonardi III for McCANN, the spot begins with the image of a futuristic, robototic horse galloping at speed through the Toksun Desert in Xin’Jiang Province, before it transforms into the bold new Trax.
The action then moves underground, where the Trax speeds through a tunnel, with glowing orbs hitting the exterior and highlighting the daytime running lights. The car then races through the streets of Shanghai, producing a sea of ‘MyLink’ lighting effects that signify the car’s superior connectivity and modern controls.
Visual effects house Alt.vfx were presented with some unique challenges, as Producer Celeste Fairlie testifies: “This was a great project for the team with so many different design challenges to solve and in three completely unique settings.”
After VFX Supervisor Colin Renshaw attended the shoot on China, the Alt team began designing, rigging and animating the spectacular mechanical horse, and working with live action plates, handled the transformation shots between the horse and the car. CG weather environments were also added to that sequence for dramatic effect.
Alt’s CG skills continued with the building of the CG tunnel and car, combining with the CG water for the droplet sequence. As it transitions into the live action plate, the team then animated the lighting effects for the MyLink section of the ad (which had been designed by Alt’s design partners, New Holland) finishing off a dramatic introduction for the new Trax for Chinese audiences.