Arabian sights: digital techniques help create a Lawrence of Arabia-style commercial of epic proportion: using inferno, digital artists replicated and composited live shots of approximately 100 actors dressed in traditional Saudi garb to generate the large armies of charging horsemen required for the commercial. (Digital Video).

Using digital technology, Playground, a production and effects studio in Santa Monica, California, recently created a television commercial for the Saudi-Arabian National Agricultural Development Corporation (NADEC) that has the look and feel of an epic in terms of its scale, style, and length.

"The promotion showcases NADEC's work in regenerating the arid landscape for agricultural use and introduces the group's new logo," says Playground's Craig Price, creative director for the project. "The overall concept was to show the progression and convergence of traditional old-world values with modern advancement, and that the two could coexist. Additionally, the client wanted it done on a grand scale, with wide shots of horsemen and the desert--sort of a Lawrence of Arabia look."

The Playground team satisfied those requirements by using well-known elements from the Arab country's past and present, and integrating them into an intricately choreographed two-minute production--far longer than the 30-second spots that typically air in the US. The commercial, shot in Namibia's coastal desert, opens with a grandfather and his grandson watching an approaching sandstorm as it sweeps through the empty, arid landscape. As the scene unfolds, the clouds above part, and thousands of men on horseback, each carrying a flag, are seen charging toward one anothe. Gradually, the galloping riders assemble their flags into a giant NADEC banner, complete with the group's new logo, which is then hoisted aloft by a squadron of helicopters.

Digital Solutions

The expansive, pristine dunes of Namibia provided an impressive backdrop for the live-action production. However, achieving the grand-scale look of the foreground elements--such as the large mounted armies, the flowing football field-size banner, and the numerous swooping helicopters--required the use of digital technology.

To generate the huge groups of charging horsemen in classic Saudi dress, the production team filmed approximately 100 extras on horseback, which were then divided into smaller groups to create non-repeating patterns of movement within the final-cut scene. Later, the various groups were digitally replicated during postproduction with Discreet's inferno compositing software. As a result, the original 100 charging men quickly became a few thousand. "Using a CG solution to generate the army was out of the question given the time limitations," says Price, "Instead, we accomplished it the old-fashioned way, in post."

The use of computer graphics, however, was required in the scenes containing the soaring helicopters. The director wanted a downward view of the choppers, making the shots look as if they were acquired in midair from another helicopter flying above. "Doing an air-to-air shot was not practical in terms of cost," notes Price. "So we took some aerial shots of the desert, and inserted photorealistic 3D models into the scene."