Cinearc (www.cinearc.com) completed work on a highly cinematic and narrative-based film for Ford Motor Cars North America for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The video was created to highlight new SYNC technology developed in concert with Microsoft and geared to simplify and enrich the driver experience.
Ford’s focus was to improve usability and function of the cockpit and driver controls through the instrument cluster, center stack display, steering wheel switches and media hub. Ford’s motto for the project, “Be Connected, Be Clear, Be Attentive, Be Approachable,” could not be compromised. Cinearc took this opportunity to extend the notion of what is traditional film making by employing state of the art CGI and live action to illustrate the new capabilities of the SYNC system. “Our goal,” said Charlie Hellwig, Creative Director of Cinearc, “was to show in a very clear yet provocative way, how simple it is to interface with the Sync Gen 2 system.”
Cinearc collaborated closely with the Ford Visualization team and directed camera movements conducive to setting the highly cinematic tone. Most camera moves where animated to gently sweep the interior of the Ford Edge on a “macro” level, a choice that resulted in very sexy and enticing footage. The footage faithfully illustrates the script written by J. Mays, Ford’s Vice President of Design, positioning the car interior as a “nest” and likened to a home. “We communicated that technology should not be confusing or scary” says Hellwig, “it should be available, friendly, like conversing with a good friend.”
Cinearc also blended live action with animated CG elements to provide an immersive experience, demonstrating the technology in a way that is holistic and captivating. Hellwig draws the distinction in the film between showing a heavily “mediated” environment and one that is intuitive yet subtle that enhances the driving experience and still allows the driver to keep his eyes on the road.
“Our task as storytellers was to communicate what this technology will mean to the end user and to make the visuals as captivating as possible, fully communicating the possibilities of Ford’s vision,” said Hellwig.
Tools: Maya 3d, After Effects, Mental Ray, Adobe Creative Suite, Boujou 3d, Final Cut Pro Studio.
About Cinearc
Cinearc is a creative agency specializing in 3d visualization, motion graphics, and branding for architecture, broadcast, transportation, and product design. With backgrounds in architecture, design, visual effects, filmmaking, and graphics, we strive to blur the boundaries between these disciplines. Cinearc was invented to be an integral resource to architects, developers, advertising and marketing agencies, postproduction, and industrial design studios. Our goal is to create extraordinary visuals and custom media in an collaborative and connected way. For more information, go to www.cinearc.com.
