Summary
The ultra-smooth mechanisms of a working engine are recreated in a breathtaking sequence of perfectly synchronised gymnastics in this impressive 60-second commercial made to introduce the most powerful road car in the company’s history, the high-performance Audi RS 6 Avant.
Gymnasts was devised by BBH and shot in Budapest by LA-based
director Paul Hunter, with Flame and telecine courtesy of Yourick
Van Impe and Mick Vincent at The Mill.
Yourick, keen to understand the director's creative vision, worked
with Paul on the pre-vis, tests and overall planning, and attended
the rehearsal and shoot at the sound stage in Budapest. Back at The
Mill, he worked on some 40 shots. For the sequence in which
gymnasts depict the car's headlights, performances were shot
separately, put together in three passes and duplicated for a
mirror image. Soft flares added texture, shadow and the illusion of
glowing headlights. For most sequences, performances were shot
separately, then layered to create more gymnasts, all apparently
moving in unison.
Thanks to DoP, Alex Barber's beautiful lighting, Yourick and Mick
had a great 35-mm film negative to work with. They provided a
bleached monochrome grade, and added shadows, flares and textures
to soften the overall feel and give the film a richly saturated
monochrome look. Mill 3D artist Han Ter Park created the hoop shot
in Maya.
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