The answer can sometimes be found by going back in time to one's roots. And this Liberty Group Limited spot, titled "The Answer," for Johannesburg agency FoxP2 does just that in a visual tour de force that winds its way back through the decades.
Visual effects studio Digital Domain teamed with director Adrian De Sa Garces of Velocity Films in Johannesburg and Cape Town on this reverse time-lapse piece which takes viewers from one of the most economically successful square miles in all of South Africa–the glittering jewel of commerce known as Sandton City–to show its creation as it sprung from the vision of Liberty investors in 1973. It's a remarkable evolution and transformation as we see from whence this development came and find that it was indeed built from the ground up.
The :60 is completely computer generated except for the live-action shot of the founders and their classic car at the very end of the spot. Director De Sa Garces and the Digital Domain ensemble, led by visual effects supervisor James Atkinson, set out to re-create the city blocks. As the original buildings were designed and built in a period pre-dating computer-assisted design (CAD), there were no CAD models, few blueprints, and in the ever-changing area, even Google Street View was out of date and didn't show the most current skyline.
Proving resourceful
So the Digital Domain had to be resourceful and fill in the considerable gaps to take viewers through a reasonably accurate trip through time. Digital Domain artisans took to the streets and skies of Johannesburg, surveying the five city blocks of Sandton City with photogrammetry and creating a 3D reconstructed model. From that data they were able to create CG buildings that they could then deconstruct–including dimensions, textures, workers, tools, props, piles of lumber, scaffolding and bricks, customized to each building.
Because the lighting and skies had to be continuously moving, the Digital Domain ensemble created time lapse clouds, realistic sunrises and weather changes, animating them along with the buildings. To create these effects, the team built a virtual sky and atmosphere in Terragen, an environmental simulation tool. This was augmented with time-lapse photography shot from atop the main office tower.
One of the most striking visuals in the piece is a time-lapse tree. To create that Digital Domain used SpeedTree, software that provides tools for procedurally growing trees.
The piece is a detailed, intricate story of how this patch of real estate grew from an unremarkable suburb of Johannesburg into one of the richest city blocks in all of South Africa.
Director Kacper Larski Joins RSA Films For Spot Representation
RSA Films has added director Kacper Larski to its roster for commercial representation in the U.S. Larski is known for his work in automotive and sport, and a style of filmmaking which features epic visuals and gripping montage, often combining the real and surreal. Among his most recent commercial films are Garmin’s “Fenix 8” (direct to brand), U.S. Army Reserve’s “Helper” (DDB Chicago) and Bushmills Whiskey’s “Follow No One” (Mekanism). He’s also directed campaigns for Hyundai, Jeep, GMC, Subaru, VW, Mazda and Chevrolet.
Larski’s distinctive aesthetic emerged in one of his first projects, Land Rover’s “68 Years Later,” which won a Cannes Young Directors Award in 2016. Two years later, he directed the “Greatness is Rare” campaign for BBDO Toronto and the Canadian Paralympic Committee which won Cannes Lion Gold. Prior to joining RSA, Larski had most recently been repped in the U.S. market by production house Eleanor.
“The camera and film for me have always been about the ability to live 1,000 lives,” Larski said. “Stylistically, I want to transport viewers in whatever stories I’m telling--a super athlete’s runner’s high, a skier’s dream powder, a giant’s tale, even driving in space.”
“Kacper is one of the most exciting filmmakers I’ve seen over the last several years,” said Luke Ricci, president, RSA Films US. “Whether it’s a character, an emotion, an environment, car or other product, he has a special and distinctive way of capturing and articulating the world around him in all his work. He is a fantastic addition to our RSA family.”
“Joining RSA is a dream come true,” Larski said. “The roster includes some of the best filmmakers in the world, with founder Ridley Scott... Read More