For Goodyear's latest spot, ASSURANCE, Entity FX teamed up with Moving Pixels to create a visually stunning display of tidal waves, avalanches, rock storms and other CG environments. The spot features a driver who successfully navigates his car through a mysterious network of channeled roads with rock wall sides while dodging a rushing flash flood, a snow avalanche and a rockslide. The camera pulls back at the end to reveal that the channels and rock walls are actually the high tech treads of the new tire.
Directed by Jan De Bont (LARA CROFT, TWISTER) of Plum Prods., the commercial was shot on several locations in Iceland. Mat Beck, on set vfx supervisor and president of Entity FX, stated, "The spectacular locations helped drive the story. Jan's opportunistic eye created new shots based on camera opportunities. The idea was to add a little bit of strangeness to an already striking landscape."
Moving Pixels created the CG elements for the spot, including the initial mountainside tunnel, snow, rain, crashing rocks, dust, debris and the closing sequence with the pull back from the road to the CG Goodyear Assurance tire. Tony Smoller, co-vfx supervisor and creative director at Moving Pixels remarked, "One of the biggest challenges was to seamlessly match the CG geographies to the live action Icelandic environments that were shot."
Entity FX artists contributed additional 3D water elements and 3D tracking. "It was a constantly changing mix between 3D and 2D solutions for the various shots," commented Entity FX producer Leighton Greer.
Entity FX's compositing team, consisting of lead inferno artist Colleen Brattesani, Marty Taylor and Eli Jarra, successfully brought all of these elements together. "For the overhead shot of a waterfall," Taylor explained, "we used both inferno generated particle systems as well as actual Smoke stock footage elements to create the mist." Additional live-action elements were filmed at Entity after principal photography was completed to further enhance the various wave/water shots.
ASSURANCE is airing nationally and will also be screened in cinemas nationwide.
Santa Monica, California-based Entity FX (www.entityfx.com) is a leading vfx studio creating digital imagery for feature films, high-def TV, commercials and music video. Recent works include SPIDER-MAN 2 and all the effects for the WB series SMALLVILLE and HBO's SIX FEET UNDER.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
