LIMEY director Scott Weintrob traveled to South Korea to collaborate with ad agency Innocean Worldwide Europe and client Hyundai on a series of brand films introducing Hyundai’s entrance into the 2013 World Rally Car Series and a continuation of their “Thinking Forward” message and campaign. The promotional campaign, which launched last month at the Paris Auto Show, highlights Hyundai’s World Rally Car based on the re-designed and popular i20 car.
This branded film begins with the all-new Hyundai i20 lakeside. The car disappears and then re-appears as it transforms into the company’s new World Rally Car. The vehicle then shoots off at high speeds through treacherous yet sweeping landscapes, continuing to disappear and re-appear as it races through the countryside. They shot some of the most beautiful scenery in Korea including countryside locations, rice fields, and lake scenes. They also shot at the Hyundai R&D track. The film was shot with Arri Alexa cameras. With the use of a Milo motion control rig and repeatable heads, the team brought together state-of-the art technology and creativity to execute the various visual effects. A duplicate car painted completely black was also used in various plate shots and removed in post.
“It was very important to me that when the car disappears and reappears, the various elements –dust, water, rain–continued without the car,” said Weintrob.
The agency had reached out to LIMEY early last summer to secure Weintrob’s expertise shooting in the automotive genre. Because this was Hyundai’s re-entrance into the World Rally Car Series after a few years’ hiatus, the pressure was on. Under a strict NDA, Weintrob was brought in to view Hyundai’s design of a new Rally Car based on the popular i20 compact 3-door model sold in various markets around the world but not the U.S. Built by a team of engineers at the Hyundai R&D center in Korea, the car would be seen for the first time at the Paris Auto Show.
“Quite often, I am called in to work on a car commercial before the vehicle itself is actually finished,” explains Weintrob. “But this was a truly unique situation with the car being created for the World Rally Car Series. It was really cool shooting in South Korea, they have everything there in terms of equipment and technology but as can be expected they had their own style of shooting. I enjoy that part of shooting overseas as it’s always interesting to learn and witness a different system. This was truly an international job with creative and production talent coming from literally around the world: we were the Epcot Center of film for one week.” Even losing half a day of shooting due to a record-breaking typhoon didn’t put Weintrob off: “I’m from England, so what they called a typhoon was a bit of wind and rain to me. Also, when the skies get dark and cloudy and the wind starts to blow, those are ideal conditions for shooting cars. That’s when things get interesting.”
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More