As disappointing as it sounds, most of the intense car chasing scenes in movies are not genuine, but rather the result of a (very talented) production team that uses rigs, replicas, mules and lots of CGI.
And the same can be said about modern ads, which adhere (more or less) to the same technique, relying on post-processing to tweak various factors – such as an entire car, for instance – mainly because “the biggest challenges facing automotive advertising are car availability, and subsequent model revisions” as The Mill explains in the video.
The Mill is a studio that specializes in creating top notch commercials, signing adverts for Qoros, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Dodge and Audi. They even did Jaguar’s “British Villains” piece (called Rendezvous).
An Impressive resume, to say the least, but the firm wants to further revolutionize the automotive ad world with the Blackbird; a shape-shifting, adjustable electric car rig that can transform (in post-processing) in any car.
Created by the media company in collaboration with JemFX, Performance Filmworks, and Keslow, the Blackbird was built in the same hangar as the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft (hence the name), and it can be programed to mimic the dynamic abilities of any car, beginning with its electric motor and ending with suspension settings.
That makes the actual car portrayed in the commercials redundant during a shoot. But before we’ll let The Mill explain the idea behind the car, it’s important to know that the Blackbird also features 3D laser scanning and high-dynamic range imagery in order to create a virtual version of its environment.
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