BMW Taiwan is one of our regular clients, and we were excited when they asked us to come up with something special for the release of the new model of the BMW X3 SUV. We were tasked with producing a short form video, suitable for TV commercial and online ad use that was eye-catching and showed off the X3's updated features in an attractive and unusual way. We knew that we wanted to incorporate a nature or outdoor element, but due to the unpredictable spring weather in Taiwan, we were reluctant to plan an outdoor shoot. After some brainstorming, and assessing the logistics of actually shooting a TVC quality commercial at Sun-Moon Lake in Central Taiwan, we came up with the nutty idea of creating a lake and pier set in a studio. With some clever lighting and postproduction work, it would give us the nature vibe we wanted, but also allow us to shoot at a consistent light all day long, allowing us to get all of the little details that BMW requested. Not only that, but we wouldn't have to worry about bad weather, permits, unstable piers, or moving large generators and grip equipment. After discussion with my regular art director, Liu Chin-Fu, gaffer Hu Wei, and producer James Ho, we decided it was a realistic plan.
We built a water pool and faux concrete pier at Arrow Studios near Taipei from March 16th-18th, mostly out of repurposed materials from the studio's storage building, and did a pre-light on the night of March 18th. We arrived early on March 19th and shot for one long day, on a Red Monstro with Tokina Vista lenses.
After shooting and editing, we needed a great color grade.
And after that, we worked with Sophie Wei and our friends at Filmtailor to composite realistic and atmospheric backgrounds. created from 3D elements.
BMW loves this commercial, and the social media response was extremely positive. It took us about 2 weeks to pitch and confirm the creative and the budget, and then planning over the next 2 weeks, and 3 days to build the set. After one long day of shooting in the studio, editing, coloring, retouching and compositing the backgrounds took another 3-4 weeks. Cool edit by my French homie Remi Orth, and great original music track by my old friend Chris Wiebe. Here is the finished commercial:
Here is a behind the scenes video!
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