Having debuted at last month’s New York International Auto Show and now making the viral rounds on YouTube, the branded music video “Get Ready” is generating buzz for the North American rollout of the Fiat 500. The clip was directed by Mark Kudsi of Motion Theory for Detroit ad agency Impatto.
Featuring Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major recreated by MassiveMusic for the new soundtrack, “Get Ready” features slick documentary-style footage of an assembly line in the new Fiat plant in Toluca, Mexico. This footage–which captures cranes, robotic arms and other factory machinery as beautiful precise objects which in motion create a mechanical ballet–is combined with four loose storylines of regular individuals getting ready in their homes.
Kudsi found inspiration in romantic comedies, in which the action is intercut between two characters eagerly preparing for a blind date with each other, uncannily matching each other’s idiosyncrasies via parallel montage. Said Kudsi, “Instead of ‘boy meets girl,’ it’s ‘driver meets car.’ We’re so connected to our cars that we often name them, talk to them, and pick them based on how we think they’ll match our personalities and lifestyle. We wanted to celebrate this connection by bringing this extraordinarily synchronized magic to the time before that first ‘meeting.’ It’s all those things we don’t see that lead to love at first sight.”
Kudsi, a commercial director who has also made a name through music videos, including the Grammy Award-winning “Boom Boom Pow” for Black Eyed Peas, deployed his trademark interplay between music, visuals, style and concept–elements which laid the foundation for the larger Fiat campaign.
“Get Ready” re-launches the Fiat in North America after an absence of almost 30 years. Kudsi and his Motion Theory production team spent two days inside the Fiat Toluca plant documenting the production line as the Fiat 500 was being made from sheet metal into finished product. An additional two days were spent on location in Los Angeles shooting the talent vignettes. All told, Kudsi accumulated 36 hours of footage, which was edited in-house by Mirada‘s Lenny Messina. Kudsi deployed a variety of cameras on the shoot, including the RED, Canon 5D and 7D and two GoPro cameras mounted onto robotic arms and inside cars as they were being assembled. As part of the same Fiat USA marketing effort, Kudsi also shot numerous interviews with Fiat customers.
The Impatto team on “Get Ready” included president/CEO Michael D’Antonio, sr. writer Parag Tembulkar, sr. art director Craig Smith, head of integrated content Gail Simon, and producers Lorraine Kraus and Kristin Loudis.
Javier Jimenez exec produced for Motion Theory, with Anna Joseph serving as line producer. The DP was Ericd Schmidt. Teri Whittaker was the production designer.
Mirada, a sister shop to Motion Theory, was the post house on the job, with an ensemble of talent consisting of creative director kudsi, VFX producer James Taylor, online producer Christina Caldwell, sr. art director Jonathan Wu, lead compositing artist Ash Wagers, compositing artists Jason Lowe, Ed Laag, Thomas Horne, Oliver Scott and Phil Guthrie, code artists Keith Pasko and Tim Stutts, designer Chris Ballard, roto artist Midori Witsken, Flame artists Danny Yoon and Matt Bramante and production manager Tina Van Delden. Mirada’s editorial contingent was comprised of editor Messina, Fred Foquet who did additional editing, online editor Jeff Aquino and assistant editor Hoa Mai.
“A Complete Unknown,” “The Brutalist,” “Gladiator II,” “Wicked” Among ADG Excellence in Production Design Award Nominees
The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) has unveiled the nominees for its 29th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The ceremony, hosted by actress and comedian Rachael Harris, will take place on Feb. 15, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Among the motion picture nominees are the production designers on A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Gladiator II, Nosferatu and Saturday Night in the Period Feature Film category; and Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Wicked in the Fantasy Feature Film category.
Television nominations span the likes of Bridgerton, Fallout, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: Pachinko, Rings of Power, Ripley and Shogun.
The ADG Awards celebrate excellence in production design across theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and animated feature films. The 2025 Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to Academy Award®-nominated director and filmmaker Jason Reitman, whose body of work includes Juno, Up in the Air and Saturday Night.
“This year’s nominees showcase the incredible artistry and vision that define our craft and our industry. We’re thrilled to bring the Guild together to celebrate the achievements of these incredible production designers and their art departments,” shared award show producers Michael Allen Glover, ADG, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, ADG, in a joint statement.
In addition, the ADG will honor Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman, and J. Dennis Washington with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Legendary production designer Carl Jules Weyl will be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame as part of the... Read More