Two new spots respectively showcasing the 2015 Lexus ES and IS luxury sport sedans debuted last week thanks to the brand's executives' partnership with Team One Advertising, RSA Films director Laurence Dunmore and artists at Brewster Parsons and Cut & Run. Painstakingly crafted to give each a unique identity while reflecting the current direction for the brand, both the Lexus ES "Remember" and Lexus IS "No Good Deed" spots debuted earlier in September and will continue to air during high-profile broadcast and cable programming over the weeks ahead. Both can also be seen at http://youtube.com/lexus.
In "Remember," a couple enjoys a night on the town with friends, where their ES 350's luxury and integrated technologies elegantly simplify planning while on-the-go. In "No Good Deed," another couple dramatically illustrates how some things aren't what they appear to be, while the 306-horsepower Lexus IS 350 is exactly what it appears to be.
"Both of these scripts from Team One were inspiring," Dunmore began. "As we collaborated on defining the narratives, looks and unique visual signatures, we engaged Brewster Parsons to help us focus on the human and emotive aspects of the performances to fully leverage their artistic capabilities."
Dunmore and his RSA Films colleagues, including director of photography Phillippe Le Sourd (who won numerous awards for his cinematography for the 2013 film "The Grandmaster" including an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Cinematography), president Jules Daly, VP/executive producer Marjie Abrahams, head of production Elicia LaPort and line producer Betsy Blakemore shot for three days in Los Angeles to capture footage for both spots. Dunmore noted that both films were realized with a performance-based cinematic approach with in-camera physical effects.
"We wanted a very organic approach to the effects, and Brewster Parsons delivered this through the process and with their on-set attendance," Dunmore continued. "All elements were filmed in-camera, in the lighting and mood of each scene and without encumbrance of green screen or overt technical specification, then reworked and integrated by Brewster Parsons to give an original and seamless integration to enhance and define key moments of the films."
The efforts for the Brewster Parsons team were led by three of the firm's accomplished visual effects supervisors: Andrew Eksner, Louis Mackall and Simon Brewster. Together, their touches focused on giving "No Good Deed" a distinct filmic look, facilitating some visual storytelling feats for both spots that would have been challenging to capture in-camera (for example, adding CG water elements in "No Good Deed," adding gallery wall art and animation for the opening scene of "Remember," and handling extensive visual effects for both spots' endings), and most importantly, making the cars look their best.
"Collectively, we have a great deal of experience in the realm of photography, and we all keenly understand and appreciate that photo technology is advancing very rapidly," Eksner said. "For this project, working with Laurence and Phillippe, we used many of the techniques we've learned, like micro-contrast enhancement and mode-blending, which we feel had a major impact on making the cars look especially great."
"Both spots were beautifully sculpted and realized from vision to reality by both Steve Gandolfini and Lucas Eskin of Cut & Run in the edit – taking on new perspective, inspired with alternate vision and collaboration," Dunmore added. "Also, working with Stefan at Company 3 always brought an originality and cinematic flair to the films through look and feel, enhancing the brilliance of Philippe Le Sourd's cinematography."
Team One's project credits include chief creative officer Chris Graves, group creative director Jason Stinsmuehlen, associate creative director Charlie Stephenson (copywriter for "Remember"), art director Steve Hanlon (for "Remember"), creative director Eric Arnold (copywriter for "No Good Deed"), creative director Jesse Blatz (art director for "No Good Deed"), executive producer Sam Walsh and senior producer Leah Bohl. For Brewster Parsons, credit also goes to executive producer Darcy Parsons, producer Erin Finch, and Flame assist Sarah Marikar, while additional Cut & Run credits include managing director Michelle Eskin and head of production Amburr Farls. Complete project credits are available upon request.
About Brewster Parsons
Founded in 2007, Brewster Parsons is a premium post-production facility specializing in photorealistic visual effects and design. Comprised of award-winning artists who are committed to delivering innovative work that is groundbreaking, beautiful, and relevant, the Brewster Parsons team offers an exceptional background that encompasses all aspects of advertising, editorial, content development, and visual effects. With signature warmth and hospitality, Brewster Parsons places the utmost value on relationships with its clients and artists. The studio is located on the fashionable Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California. For more information, please call 1.310.736.1663 or visit http://brewsterparsons.com.
