A sound system can be a selling point for an automobile. But this spot for the 2011 Lexus IS takes audio to a whole new level with the car performing a percussion solo as it motors along a special race track, hugging the curves in a display of precision, power and musicality.
It all begins in a sleek warehouse where 122 percussion instruments are arranged to create a precision-driving course full of angles and straightaways. Each instrument has a tiny lever. An Ultrasonic Blue 2011 Lexus IS sport sedan revs its engine, wheels spinning as it roars to life to debut its musical prowess. The vehicle navigates the raceway, precisely tripping each and every drum lever on the track, creating a beat as it speeds by, igniting the base, snare, toms and cymbals. Through it all, the IS doesn’t knock over a single instrument. As it comes screeching to a halt, the final drum beat is triggered. The new 2011 IS has just laid down its first custom track.
Titled “Music Track,” this latest Lexus TV spot out of agency Team One has the IS taking on the role of musician to demonstrate that the most exhilarating kind of performance is power wielded with precision. With the help of a team of music composers, a mathematician and a skilled stunt driver, the IS was put to the precision performance test.
Dave Gold, creative director of bicoastal Elias Arts, the music house on the commercial, said that “a lot of brain power approaching the job from different angles and considering different approaches” went in to the making of “Music Track.” He noted the vision of the spot’s director, Kevin Fitzgerald of Rabbit, was a guiding force. “He absolutely wanted the car to perform the music. There might be some audio sweetening later but basically he wanted the car to be true to the concept. He didn’t want to take any short cuts like having a car driving around with CG drums put into the scenes later.”
For the car to become a musical performer, Gold said it was clear that Elias had to come up with a basic beat and rhythm. “We had to keep it simple and straight forward but at the same time not boring. We were trying to make something exciting that was feasible.”
Elias Arts chief creative officer Jonathan Elias teamed with Gold, composers Chris Kemp and John Wicks, and executive producer Ann Haugen. Gold cited Wicks’ drumming prowess as being key to the composition. “John is a great drummer and he helped us create music that was exciting and yet doable for the car.”
But the initial composition was a creative foundation–there was much more work to be done. Next came the challenge of translating sheet notes on a page into a physical track in which the car could maneuver. “We had to figure out how to lay out a track that would allow the car to really play a beat,” said Dave Nordstrom, VP of marketing for Lexus.
“From there, it became a math equation,” observed Gold who noted that Curtis Bennett, the head of mathematics from Loyola University, was brought onto the project. He broke down measures of music into increments, computing the measures depending on the rate of speed at which the car was traveling. “If you want the car to travel at 30 miles per hour, what distance does it cover in one-and-a-half seconds–one measure of music is one-and-a-half seconds long. Our meetings were with the director, the creatives and the mathematician.”
Bennett helped to determine how and where to place the drums based on calculations of the car’s speed, the beat of the music and the space allocation on the course.
Production designer Paul Martin was enlisted to help create a system of levers that would set off the drums when the wheels of the vehicle rolled over them. According to Gold, technicians built “these fantastic little electronic or air triggers. They were laid out like a line sensor. There was an electronic trigger for every drum.”
A precise vehicle and skilled driver were required to ensure a beat that was accurate within fractions of a second. Lexus selected a professional stunt driver, Eddie Braun, to meet the challenge of wielding the IS on the course so precisely that it would hit its mark, every time. Braun utilized the vehicle’s performance technology to meet the demands of the course while relying not only on the speedometer to measure speed, but by simultaneously listening for the tempo.
The result of the IS’ precision? Music to anyone’s ears. “The first time it all came together on rehearsal day, the crew burst into applause,” said Nordstrom.
Gold related that three days were set aside for testing to see what could be done and what had to be done, including figuring out how much time the car needed to get up to the consistent desired speed. “It’s one thing to have the mathematical formula and all the planning, but the driver has to execute.”
As alluded to, some audio sweetening was done afterwards. “But for the car to perform the drum part in the manner it did was quite remarkable,” assessed Gold.
David Henegar of Butcher, Santa Monica, edited the spot and served as sound designer. Audio post mixer was Bob Gremore of Juice West, Santa Monica.
“Music Track” is part of the “Wield Precision” campaign for the 2011 Lexus IS. It can be viewed at YouTube.com/lexusvehicles, on television, as well as on full episode players online. The campaign is also being featured in an outdoor, print, mobile and online banner campaign, as well as partnerships with Pandora, CNET and in Esquire magazine’s October issue and Yahoo! Sportacular iPad applications.
“Music Track” was shot by DP Neil Shapiro.
The Team One creative ensemble included chief creative officer Chris Graves, associate group creative directors Jason Stinsmuehlen and Craig Crawford, senior art director Nik Piscitello, copywriter Molly Grubbs and producer Leah Bohl.
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More