"Glide".(Nissan Motor Company Ltd., TBWA Chiat/Day, advertising contract)

NISSAN

Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles Director: Jake Banks Production company: Stardust Studios Visual effects: Stardust Studios

In a trio of spots for a Nissan Murano campaign, all directed by bicoastal Stardust Studios' owner/executive creative director Jake Banks, the Murano transforms into a manta ray (in "Glide"), a bird (in "Soar"), and then a paper airplane (in "Fly"), all designed to show how smoothly the vehicle's Xtronic continuously variable transmission operates. "Glide" was the spot that debuted just before Super Bowl XL and aired during ABC's Super Bowl halftime show.

For all three spots, Stardust Studios provided the design, live-action production, animation, editorial, and visual effects. The facility also previsualized the camera moves (using Autodesk's Maya and 3ds Max) for the live-action shoot, building a 3D car in Maya and moving the cameras to match the car and helicopter perspectives. Director of photography Neil Shapiro captured dynamic shots that matched the storyboard using a camera-car, helicopter, and locked-down mounts. "We had to shoot the car in a way that would be in tune with the elements of flowing, soaring, and gliding," explains Banks. "These extremely dynamic camera moves allowed us to be more free with the animation."

"The idea was to keep it simple and clean throughout," Banks continues. "The big thing we had to figure out was how the car actually transformed into the manta ray. Do the doors flip out and form wings? We went through dozens of ideas about how to do it. We wanted it to be stylized, with its own feel and look, and not seem as if it were transforming into a robot."

The two-day shoot took place on the tarmac at a local airport in San Bernardino, California. After the edit was locked and the crew pulled selects of what worked best, the team tried to mimic the previs. Six artists ...