When legendary guitarist Jimmy Page met the Fender Telecaster guitar, rock history was made. As part of Led Zeppelin’s 50th anniversary celebrations, directorial team Smith & Foulkes of Nexus Studios connected with Fender Musical Instruments Corp. to create the animated short titled “The Mystical Journey of Jimmy Page’s ‘59 Telecaster.”
Taking viewers on a psychedelic tour through a pivotal time in music, the film is shaped around Page’s own words about his relationship with the iconic guitar. Smith & Foulkes creatively expanded around Page’s narrative to focus on what happened when these two creative energies collided.
A team of animators at Nexus Studios worked to visually convey the atmosphere and energy of this time and to illustrate key moments in the development of Led Zeppelin. The film shows how Page’s personalization of the Telecaster (into the famed Dragon and Mirror versions) takes the band to previously uncharted sonic horizons.
A joint statement from Smith & Foulkes read, “It goes without saying that everybody loves a dragon. And we made full use out of that. But it was much trickier to visually illustrate the mirror guitar which was more about the optical sensation of prismatic light patterns. So we hit upon this idea of how images are bent and twisted in a Hall of Mirrors, which seemed to fit the idea of new sounds being distorted as Jimmy experimented with the Telecaster.”
Credits
Client Fender Musical Instruments Corp. Jeremy Taylor, executive producer; Neil Whitcher, Matt Watts, Keith Legro, producers. Creative Story & Narration by Jimmy Page Production Nexus Studios Smith & Foulkes, directors Tracey Cooper, producer; Chris O’Reilly, Charlotte Bavasso, exec producers; Rebecca Archer, production manager; Michal Firkowski, previs & project supervisor; Melanie Climent, art director; Bishoy Gendi, lead animator; Marlene Beaube, Giacomo Autill, Hozen Britto, Peter Lowey, Arina Shabanova, 2D animators; Jesse Richards, lead compositor; Chris Gavin, Victoria Jardine, Dave Hunt, compositing; Sebastien De Oliveira Bispo, Pierre Clenet, 3D generalists. Dave Slade, editor. Audio Post Factory London Josh Campbell, Anthony Moore, sound design & mix; Lou Allen, producer. Music “Dazed and Confused” by Jimmy Page (inspired by Jake Holmes), performed by The Yardbirds, taken from the album “Yardbirds ‘68” recorded live in NYC. Flames of Albion Music, Inc. (ASCAP), all rights administered by WB Muisic Corp., licensed courtesy of Jimmy Page
This trailer promotes Charge Around The Globe, a new adventure docuseries that follows record-breaking traveler Lexie Limitless on an extraordinary journey to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle--traveling over 30,000 kilometers across six continents, all in pursuit of one world record. The three-part series on Prime Video in the U.K. showcases the capabilities of modern electric vehicles while immersing viewers in the numerous experiences and challenges Lexie encounters throughout her journey. As she navigates various challenges throughout her trip, Charge Around the Globe serves as a testament to the spirit of exploration. Ford, Wieden+Kennedy London and WracK teamed on the series.
The documentary aims to address the primary concern hindering many consumers from transitioning to electric: doubts about the range and capability of electric vehicles. As a 120-year-old brand, Ford looked to its past as inspiration for the switch that’s taking place today. Over a century ago, pioneering explorer Aloha Wanderwell set off from Nice at the age of 16 to become the first woman to drive around the world in a Ford Model T. Now, in 2024, we get to see Lexie, the youngest person to visit every country in the world, take to the wheel of the electric Ford Explorer, reinventing that historic journey for a new generation. Along the way, she meets extraordinary people, navigates difficult terrains, and faces the challenges of a constantly evolving charging infrastructure that puts her to the test.
“Charge Around The Globe has been the ultimate test drive for our new electric Ford Explorer. We took on every kind of weather and road condition and dealt with just about every charging scenario. The journey embodies the true... Read More
