Think your internet connection can do everything but drive you down the road? Well, check out Absolute's latest post work for Verizon FiOS and you'll start to believe it can do even that. In Absolute's second spot for the telecommunications giant's latest campaign, the studio teamed up with Smuggler Director Filip Engstrom via McCann Erickson NY to create an unreal traffic jam that metaphorically shows the speed and superiority of Verizon's fiber-optic network.
Set in a dense, gritty cityscape, Bright features a nearly stalled mass of unusual vehicles - made from computers, modems, cell phones, remote controls, and other technology - honking and crawling through an impossible traffic jam. The frustrated drivers look up in awestruck surprise, however, when a sleek, television-based vehicle soars past in its own traffic lane, disappearing into a beacon of light as the satisfied family riding the monitor looks happily down on the masses.
To create this quirky scene, Absolute first brainstormed generic, outdated electronic devices appropriate for the drivers in the slow lanes. "We wanted to reinforce the obvious message that FiOS was faster by emphasizing clunky, worn-out machines that are associated with antiquated technology," stated Lead Flame Artist Dirk Greene. "We had a lot of fun with this stage, laughing at old stuff that just a couple years ago seemed so fresh and figuring out how to transform it into a funky, tangible world."
Once the vehicle concepts were in place, Greene and Nuke Artist JD Yepes led two teams of artists in building, over a four-week period, CG, automobile-like versions of the technology from scratch, using Maya and Mental Ray and Nuke and Flame as compositing tools. Absolute then placed the CG model devices into the spot, making sure the proportions and composition ratio blended perfectly and handling the lighting, texture and compositing. In the end, seventy five percent of the device shots - including the slick, fast-moving FiOS TV - were CG, which Absolute flawlessly blended with Smuggler's live-action car and driver shots. To emphasize the faster lane that the Verizon device traveled in, Absolute treated that roadway to give it a more ethereal look.
"This spot is a showcase of the collaborative capabilities that Absolute is known for," stated Absolute EP Sally Heath. "With our work taking the prominent role in creating and filling out the landscape, we had to coordinate very closely with Smuggler throughout the creative and production process to synch our footage and stay thematically and aesthetically consistent. Luckily Dirk and JD had our very deep and talented roster of artists working behind them, and we were able to get the spot done in a very short time."