Crafting Surreal Planets for Mercedes-Maybach
In creating Mercedes-Maybach’s film ‘Welcome to Beyond’, Smuggler director Saad Moosajee explored the artistic potential of virtual production filmmaking, fusing elaborate digital sets and sculptures with physical counterparts to produce surreal, cinematic visuals.
Using an LED volume stage and innovative post production techniques, Saad conjured dream-like, futuristic worlds that reflect the designs of the vehicles featured in the spot, which include a concept car designed by the late Virgil Abloh.
Working alongside production company Tempomedia and post house Analog, the blend of virtual cameras and classic film techniques brings the ‘beyond’ truly to life in Saad’s fluid and abstract style. A self-taught motion designer and director, his previous otherworldly work includes award-winning music videos like ‘Last I Heard’ for Thom Yorke and Woodkid’s ‘Reactor’, as well as his output as creative director for Lil Nas X, providing direction and animation for Lil Nas X’s debut album, ‘Montero’ and subsequent tour.
To delve into how this fantastical Mercedes-Maybach project came to be, LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Saad for a chat.
LBB> The brief combined futuristic visual design with fantasy elements – what excited you most about this? What visuals and ideas immediately sprang to mind?
Saad> The attention to detail in the visual design was something that grabbed me from the brief, and I was excited by the opportunity to tell a visual story through the design details of the different Maybachs. The original brief was set up structurally to work within a more traditional shoot – like a one-take shot that would pass through a series of cars lined up in a physical space. I wanted to create something more expansive, where each car could almost feel like a fragment of a dream, and the viewer was transported by them through the different worlds and spaces.
LBB> How was the treatment/storyboarding process? Did you work with any other designers or creatives at this stage? What were some of your influences for the visual style?
Saad> I was supported by SMUGGLER and Tempo for treatment in the beginning stages, mainly research and first layout. Most of the final treatment is designed by me. I followed the visual style of the brief but refined it through my own art direction and design. I have a design background and used to design books, so I work on the treatment more like designing a book I’d be making to showcase the film.
LBB> The dream-like visuals and storytelling draw from the surrealist designs of the vehicles - including a concept car from Virgil Abloh. How did the vehicles involved shape this film?
Saad> Each world was created to fit its respective car, but the film is unique in that it includes the full gamut of Maybach vehicles, from the early classic car to the Virgil Abloh MB. We wanted to highlight the history and legacy of each vehicle through the elements and palettes of the surrounding environments. In the visual and editorial flow of the piece, it was vehicles like the Abloh and Vision 6 (Drake’s design) that best demonstrated the ‘welcome to beyond’ feeling which defined the campaign
LBB> The film also has a cinematic, animated feel and almost Dali-esque surrealist elements too - what are some of the components that show this off best? How did you achieve these visuals?
Saad> The classical surrealists have always been an influence on my work. It was not something I heavily tried to incorporate but more an organic part of the production process. A lot of work occurred in pre-production in concept art, styleframe and previs which set the tone and look. Almost all the scenes were created as illustrations before they were ever shot.
LBB> You used virtual production as an artistic tool, as well as for its lighting capabilities. Can you talk us through why the LED volume and this tech worked so well on this project?
Saad> I was interested in exploring virtual production as a way to bridge moments of illustration with elements shot to film. The LED offers a much more natural way to do it versus a traditional green screen, since lighting could be synchronised in real-time during the shoot between the physical DP and the virtual DP.
LBB> Did you use Unreal Engine for the virtual sets/elements? Who did you work with on the production design and art side of things? How was that experience as a director?
Saad> I worked with Marco Bittner Rosser, an amazing production designer for the film. In a way, the project had two production designers, the virtual PDs (myself and VFX studio, Analog) and Marco (physical PD). We constantly went between physical and digital design, allowing each to influence the other.
LBB> How did you ensure the virtual sets and physical elements blended together well? What’s the most difficult part of that process?
Saad> It was mainly trial and error, as so much of this process was developed while it was happening. The most difficult thing was achieving the desired level of stylisation while still maintaining the feeling of something tactile and tangible.
LBB> What is your favourite shot or sequence from the final product, and how did you achieve it?
Saad> From a technical standpoint, I felt the most successful sequences were in the Maybach Haute Voiture [world] – the world of sewn fabric and brutalist architecture. In this world, the light and set design from digital and physical collapse together more fluidly.
