The Mission has finished a new campaign for Puma Run, featuring Usain Bolt. The audience gets an intimate look at a training cycle from the fastest man on the planet.
In the :60, the camera tracks to find him on an moody stretch of seaside road in his native Kingston. As he transitions from walk, to jog, to blazing-fast run, the sequence is a compelling study of the ultimate athlete, and that may be enough on its own. But something unexpected begins when his pace hits its peak: with each of his foot strikes, the tread of his shoe starts to ignite the gravel beneath it in flinty bursts of spark and gas. The viewer is given a moment to marvel at the phenomenon, before Bolt crosses his imaginary finish line. He downshifts to cool-down pace as the camera overtakes him, and the sparks have faded away.
Collaborating with JWT creatives (Twist/Warzin) and director Omri Cohen (Anonymous Content), The Mission's Creative Director, Rob Trent, was able to oversee the project from beginning to end, and was involved from an early point in pre-production to develop the aesthetic. He and the director were able to sit in the comfortable previs suite with Piotr Karwas (Animation Director at The Mission), to work out otherwise time consuming production decisions with efficient, accurate previs tests. Capturing such a dynamic performance in a single take properly would have left too much to chance without smart planning.
Everything from lens choice and camera car speed, to technocrane moves, to even cost-saving decisions about what gear to ship from the states were solved ahead of time in previs so that Cohen and the Anonymous crew could get the best creative results out of their time with Bolt.
Trent then traveled to Kingston to ensure a smooth transition from previs to production, and to consult on solutions that would streamline the creative process when he returned with the director to Venice Beach to complete the spot.
He continued to work closely with Cohen at The Mission throughout the post schedule in order to hone a look that captivated both New York's JWT and the European Puma client across their respective time-zones.
Previs was done in Maya, and all vfx elements, compositing and finishing were done in Flame.
About The Mission
The Mission is a high-end visual effects studio specializing in commercials, film and digital content. It is located in the middle of the pop-culture hub known as Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.
With the talents of some of the most creative and experienced artists in the industry, working with the latest tools and a top-notch production staff, The Mission is a lean and dynamic powerhouse of a partner to deploy into your creative process.
From concepting, previs, and on-set-supervision, to 2d and 3d visual effects work & design, and on to final mastering, The Mission brings a smart, beautiful and efficient component to every visual dimension of your project. www.themissionstudio.com
