Lemonade Films Joyrides Through a Desert in New Pennzoil Ad

Some of the world’s finest performance cars are pushed to brutal extremes in a series of Pennzoil ads by Vancouver-based Lemonade Films.

In “Joyride Baja,” a member of the clandestine Joyride Society sneaks into a secret testing facility in the Mexican desert and takes a heavily modified Jeep Wrangler for a spin through the scorching Martian-like landscape.

Directed by Ozan Biron, the three-minute spot is the latest instalment in a trilogy of ads and follows “Joyride Circuit,” which was shot in Barcelona with a Ferrari 488 GTB. 

Pennzoil and ad agency JWT Atlanta approached Lemonade after seeing the upstart shop’s BMW ad “Ultimate Racetrack” featuring a BMW M4 drifting dangerously close to the edge of an aircraft carrier. 

Released in 2014, the much-imitated spot racked up more than seven million views on YouTube and was so convincing that many viewers were unaware the spot was largely achieved through VFX trickery.

Since rebranding from a production services outfit to a boutique shop two years ago, Lemonade has quickly established itself as a go-to place for brands in need of high-octane spots. 

The rebranding represented a collaboration by filmmaker and former Embassy VFX partner Trevor Cawood, producer/founder Ted Herman and director Biron – all of whom bring years of experience creating visually-striking work that also requires intensive post-production and technical expertise.

For the Joyride campaign, Pennzoil and JWT challenged Lemonade to produce a series of cinematic automotive ads that pushed the limits of driving aggression. The company recruited The Fast and the Furious stunt driver Rhys Millen – one of the best in the world – and unleashed him in three different, but visually stunning locations. 

“Joyride Baja” was shot over four days in the north Sea of Cortez basin, amidst the intense heat of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. 

“Our general approach is get as much as possible done in-camera,” says Cawood. “Ozan has incredible talent for shooting fast cars, and had free reign to create something more in-your-face than what you normally see in a car ad. We wanted Jeep enthusiasts to see things they can only dream about doing with their Jeeps.”

“I’m a car culture enthusiast and I get a lot of my inspiration online,” says Biron. “I live and breathe this stuff, and on the Internet car culture is massive on a global scale. You can find everything from car memes, video gameplay captures of racing games, Russian dash cams, Hoonigan, to Saudi drifts or even the classic getaway in Stockholm films. There’s so much great car content out there and I love it.”

Lemonade’s previous work includes spots for BMW, Budweiser, Adidas, Lockheed Martin and other Pennzoil commercials; Airlift Drift & Joyride Prequel. The company has also won multiple London International awards, Clio Awards, and One Show awards for Airlift Drift, BMW “Ultimate Race Track,” and “Joyride Prequel.”