Press Release from PublicVFX

Venice, California - PublicVFX, a recently formed commercial visual effects studio, has launched its new venture with the delivery of visual effects for Hyundai’s latest ad campaign. Four of the 13 thirty-second ads from the package, “Body Pass,” “Paint Sonata,” “10 Years/ Favre” and “Luxury,” debuted during the Super Bowl XLIV broadcast on Sunday, February 7. Additional spots are set to air during the Academy Awards in March, giving the Hyundai campaign the two largest television audiences of the year. Public also worked on the new Dodge campaign directed by Mark Romanek of Anonymous for Wieden + Kennedy, which was also unveiled during the Super Bowl.

The Hyundai campaign, narrated by actor Jeff Bridges, was directed by acclaimed directors Noam Murro and Tim Godsall of Biscuit Filmworks for Innocean Americas, Hyundai’s Irvine-based agency.

To illustrate the quality and hand-built ethos of the Hyundai line, “Body Pass” was shot at the manufacturer’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama, one of the most technologically advanced in the world. Dozens of workers are seen tenderly carrying a Sonata – a perfect CG replica generated by Public – down a spiral staircase and through a configuration of office cubicles while Jeff Bridges explains that “having every one of our team members in charge of quality makes it feel as if the all-new Sonata was built by hand.”

Set to classical music, “Paint Sonata” is a visually elegant ode to the robotically based paint process lavished on each Hyundai model at its plant.

“10 Years/ Favre” uses computer-generated imagery from Public as metaphors for Hyundai’s 10 Year Protection Plan. Set in the year 2020, a gray-haired and digitally aged 50-year-old Brett Favre accepts the MVP Award in the form of a holographic trophy and hedges about the possibility of his retirement. Bridges’ voiceover reminds us that that “We don’t know what things will be like in 10 years, but we can assure you that your Hyundai will be covered.”

The most broadly comedic spot, “Luxury,” plays off Hyundai’s affordable price point and style and features photorealistic CG elements and compositing by Public. A sleek white yacht, which would be at home in St. Tropez, is parked alongside a modest suburban home. A pick up game of basketball in a gritty neighborhood gets a Vegas-style interpretation with an inlaid marble court, hoop suspended from an ornate column and an haute couture basketball. A downtown environment, spangled with crystal chandeliers, flaunts a red-carpeted pedestrian crossing.

Robert Prins, Creative Director at Innocean, said of the agency’s collaboration with Public “From the very beginning they worked side by side with us. No detail was overlooked. They were tireless and worked 24/7. Without the artistic and realistic perfection that Public put into these spots, they would never have worked.”

Public’s co-owner and creative director Tony Smoller, who has extensive live action and digital production experience, provided on set supervision for the campaign’s 12-day Los Angeles shoot, as well as five days at the Hyundai plant in Alabama.

“We feel very fortunate to have been a part of this high profile campaign for Hyundai,” said Smoller. “The natural synergy between Innocean and Public resulted in the seamless visual execution of their concepts and has really affirmed our desire for creative challenge and growth.”

Public used a variety of hardware and software on the Hyundai spots, including Autodesk Maya and Flame, Side Effects Houdini and SynthEyes camera tracking and stabilization. The entire campaign was edited by the award-winning editorial company Spot Welders.

Other visual effects credits for Public include "Global Hawk” for Northrop Grumman’s “Minds Behind It All” campaign directed by Jeff Darling of Believe for McCann L.A.; Target “I Got A Feeling” directed by Jonas Ackerlund of Serial Pictures for Wieden + Kennedy; and “Drive One,” the launch of the 2010 Ford Taurus, directed by Mikon van Gastel of A Very Small Office/NY for agency JWT/Team Detroit.