In this branded short film titled Airlift Drift, Pennzoil presents famed stunt driver Rhys Millen behind the wheel of a 707 horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat as he pushes the boundaries of performance. Shot in Cape Town, South Africa, the short was directed by Ozan Biron of The Embassy, Vancouver, B.C., for J. Walter Thompson Atlanta.

The piece marks several firsts for Pennzoil: a campaign led by an online film first rather than a more traditional TV-driven approach; shedding the advertising norms of its category by dropping claim-based language and product shots to show, not tell, the performance; and deliberately excluding music and VO from the film so consumers can hear the performance through the engine–targeting a visceral reaction–thanks to Charles Deenen at Sound Source.

The :90 online film can be viewed on the Pennzoil YouTube channel and updated PennzoilSynthetics.com. 

Credits

Client Pennzoil Agency J. Walter Thompson Atlanta Perry Fair, chief creative officer; Jeremy Jones, executive creative director; Dustin Tamilio, group creative director; John Huddleston, copywriter; Erin Fillingam, art director; Daryll Merchant, producer; James Robbins, sr. planner. Production The Embassy, Vancouver, B.C. Ozan Biron, director/editor; Trevor Cawood, exec producer; Manoel Ferreira, DP. Post Cycle Media Brendan Woollard, assistant editor/conformist. VFX Imagine Engine Bernhard Kimbacher, VFX supervisor; Neil Impey, on-set supervisor. Stunts Rhys Millen, precision driver. Content Production Company Lemonade Films Ted Herman, exec producer; Philip Fyfe, production supervisor. Production Services (South Africa) Uncle Morris Films Steven St. Arnaud, line producer; Herman Warnich, production manager; Andrea Scott, production coordinator. Post Company 3 Dave Hussey, colorist. Sound Design Sound Source LA Charles Deenen, sound designer.

MySHOOT Profiles