Director Tim Damon was recently tasked with turning warm October days into a snowscape to highlight Hyundai’s annual Getaway sales event for agency Innocean USA.
“A Hyundai carving through snow,” says Damon. “There’s a dual, between car and skier/snowboarder to get to the bottom of the mountain.”
In the multi-spot campaign, Damon has Hyundai sedans and SUVs cutting precise curves through snow, having as much fun as snowboarders and skiers. According to Damon, the trick to the entire shoot revolved around controlling the elements; in this case beating the unusually warm October heat. An additional challenge was to match turns and lighting of both car and talent. “Some footage was shot last December, so the window to match current lighting in October (when the sun is higher) occurred for less than 90 minutes.” Adds Damon, “We built out our scene the day prior, then worked closely with the VFX supervisor to match the visuals.”
Being unusually warm this year (shoot location was in the 90s), Damon enlisted two huge snow machines to set the wintry mood. “We topped off the snow with a 100 percent biodegradable starch flake (a combination Damon perfected over the years in Wyoming and Montana). “The result was a very light and airy snow, just a breath and it floats straight up, a perfect spray of snow,” he says.
Winter sales events are now key to the success of automakers. According to Banktracker, dealerships and manufacturers have stepped up their game to end each year strong, offering above average discounts to car buyers. In fact, the entire month of December now offers above average discounts. According to Edmunds.com, December has claimed the #1 spot for sales of luxury cars for seven of the past 12 years.
