Fresh off the heels of "TRON: Legacy," Digital Domain joined forces once again with the team behind the film -- director Joe Kosinski and editor Jim Haygood -- on a new :30 spot for BMW via Grey West. Titled "Refuel," the spot brings back the brand's beloved tagline, "The Ultimate Driving Machine."

To promote the incredible fuel efficiency (and speed!) of the BMW 5 series, the spot features the car blazing down a long stretch of desert highway as a massive Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker appears overhead. The plane descends and a hatch opens. A long fuel dispenser reaches toward the BMW 5-series' open sunroof as an arm appears, coffee mug in hand, ready to receive a caffeine fill-up -- way before the BMW, which gets 32mpg, requires one.

Digital Domain built the entire KC-135 digitally after conducting an intricate survey of the actual plane, obtaining reference photos and the plane's physical dimensions, as well as researching actual videos of KC-135 plane landings. The digital production team, led by VFX Supervisor Eric Barba (VFX Supervisor on "TRON: Legacy") then worked closely with Kosinski to determine stall speed and the kinds of real interactions that would take place between the car and the ground to make the spot wholly believable.

Barba's team took care to ensure the tracking was just right, so the camera matches precisely with the live-action to maintain believability. Digital Domain also added atmospheric effects -- exhaust, heat coming off engines, and dust, as well as some sky replacement.

Production Credits

BMW "Refuel"
Directed by: Joe Kosinski

Agency: Grey West
Executive Creative Director: Jack Fund
Creative Director: Michael Wilde
Producer: Florence Babbitt
Account Director: Duccio Brandonisio

Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Joe Kosinski
Executive Producer: Jeff Baron
Head of Production: SueEllen Clair
Producer: Julien Lemaitre
Production Supervisor: Jeff Michael
Director of Photography: Alwin Küchler

Animation & Visual Effects by: Digital Domain
President of commercial Division: Ed Ubrich
Executive Producer: Tanya Cohen
VFX Supervisor: Eric Barba
CG Supervisor: Tim Jones
VFX Producer: Kait Boehm
VFX Coordinator: Cedric Williams
Digital Artist: Hnedel Maximore
Digital Artist: Brian Creasey
Digital Artist: Derek Crosby
Flame Artist: Lisa Tomei
Compositor: Kym Olsen
Compositor: Dan Cobbett
Tracking: Michael Lori
On Set Tracking: Marco Maldonado

Editing By: Union Editorial
President/Executive Producer: Michael Raimondi
Editor: Jim Haygood
Assistant Editor: Dylan Firshein

Sound Design by: Mit Out Sound
Sound Designer: Ren Klyce
Sound Design Producer: Misa Kageyama

Sound Mixing by: Lime Studios
Mixer: Loren Silber
Assistant Mixer: Lindsey Alvarez