The challenge on this project came in two parts; to build a photo-realistic CG environment, and to also give a McLaren Formula 1 car the appearance of traveling at speed, (we say “appearance” because at time of the shoot this F1 car had no engine!). Therefore, an essential component in selling the broader concept was to create a photo-real model of the full F1 car and show it traveling at 200mph towards a time-portal.

Working closely with the agency (Snap) and director (Jak Payne), we started with a CAD model of the car, which we stripped to its core components, before texturing and rendering using Redshift and ACES colour.

For the live action element of the shoot, we augmented the footage of the stationary car in post by adding particles effects, to give the appearance of movement; this was crucial to selling the story. We also modeled driver Daniel Riccardo's actual helmet to match CG action to the live sequences.

For the CG environment we turned to Megascans’ game-changing 8K assets, which enable a level of finish and realism that has not previously been achievable

The live action sequences were shot on a sound stage with a moving backround projected behind a static car. Clever camera work allowed us to composite atmospheric effects like smoke, sparks and reflections to whiz past our driver. On the wider shots we added motion blur/textures to the tyres and ground to add to the illusion of speed and movement.

Our final task was to paint out wires and extend the set for the scenes with levitating tools. We are super proud of what we've achieved with a very tight schedule.