The car commercial opens on a deserted car park roof, and takes us on a journey through a district of a modern day city.
The :60 spot shows the Audi A6 deconstructing into thousands of abstract component parts, which then travel from one end of the city to the other. These elements become recognizable as letters that go on to spell out the famous Audi strapline: Vorsprung, Durch, Technik.
The task facing MPCs team was vast. There were three stages; first, the creation of an anonymous contemporary city devoid of all signs of life; second, the choreography of the letters as they travel through the urban landscape; and finally, the replacement of all reflective elements of the car to facilitate its integration into its new environment.
An animatic created by director Pleix was pivotal in the teams realization of their vision. The urban environment was created from elements taken from more than 2,500 digital stills captured by Pleix in various international locations. A combination of 3D and digital matte painting was used to transform these many discrete elements into a composition that worked as a whole. Many of the shots utilized camera projection techniques to create a moving shot. After deconstruction, the letters journey was choreographed to show the separate elements moving as a body before culminating in the reformation of the A6.
The final elements were then composited and graded in inferno at HD. The team worked closely with Pleix, finessing the shots and setting the overall mood.
The ad began airing in the U.K. on Jan. 10.
MPC credits:* Post Producer: Ben Stallard / Frankie Limata* Creative Head of 3D: Jim Radford* VFX Supervisors: Richard Nelson, Nico Cotta* 3D artists: Mark Gregory, Rob Kobleins, Christophe Damiano, Matt McKinney* Digital Matte Painter: Dave Gibbons* Inferno artists: Christophe Allender, Frank Lambertz.* Telecine: Jean-Clément Soret
London-based MPC (www.moving-picture.com), recently acquired by Thomson, is currently working on a raft of visual effects projects, including being the sole vfx facility on two stop-motion features, DreamWorks Pictures/Aardman Features 2005 release WALLACE AND GROMIT and Tim Burtons THE CORPSE BRIDE. MPC is also lead effects house for Burton's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and Ridley Scott's KINGDOM OF HEAVEN along with supplying a number of sequences for BATMAN BEGINS and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
