New Hyundai Model Brought to Life in Stratospheric Spot

Where do you go once you’ve reached the top? That’s the question that Hyundai tackles in its dynamic new campaign, which pays tribute to the award-winning identity of the one of its most successful vehicles. To promote the launch of its new and improved i30 model, the automotive giant teamed up with INNOCEAN Worldwide Australia, Collider, and boutique design and VFX house, Fin, to create ‘Fall’. 

Directed by Daniel Askill – the mastermind behind the Grammy-nominated music videos, Chandelier and Elastic Heart, for Sia – ‘Fall’ harnesses Askill’s trademark stunning visuals, which work in perfect harmony with Fin’s VFX, to dramatic effect.

Expertly combining practical filming and CGI, the action-packed film follows the previous Hyundai model plunging to earth from the edge of space. Drawing on real footage captured on location by a skydiving team, the dramatic imagery required extensive previsualisation from boutique design and VFX house, Fin. Home of Australia’s most highly-awarded team of VFX artists, designers, and producers, it worked closely with Askill on the post-production-heavy spot. 

Gripping shots of the falling car were achieved through a combination of full CGI, rendered with Redshift in Maya, and shots of a real i30 suspended by a crane. The car was then rotoscoped and dropped into one of the falling skydiving plates, seamlessly marrying the two elements together.

“Dan [Askill] wanted to film as many in-camera moments as possible,” comments VFX Supervisor at Fin, Justin Bromley. “We were able to advise fully on the overall approach regarding the blend of VFX and practical effects thanks to our early involvement in the creative process. While a last-minute change in location from Broken Hill, New South Wales, to Flinders Ranges, South Australia, meant that the scenery matched very closely to the director’s vision set out in pre-viz – vast open outback desert and clear blue skies – perhaps the skies were almost too clear as we created a huge amount of CGI clouds for the car to actually fall through. I've worked with Dan before, but not on something as complex and FX-heavy as this spot. His collaborative attitude and openness to our creative input really allowed us to take the creative ball and run with it, which made for a fantastic and rewarding experience. It's always great when the initial vision in your head matches the final images that go to air!”

The stunning moment of impact was powered by explosives and tennis balls filled with dirt and captured high-speed in 1000-frames-per-second; the in-camera shots were then tuned extensively in compositing. Rather than grading footage in one big session, Fin opted to grade in Flame with the option of being able to constantly adjust the look in line with the evolution of the creative. Initial colour tests were carried out with Askill as a conceptual reference, then applied to every shot as the final composites were completed, resulting in a beautiful overall finish.

Alastair Stephen, Executive Producer, who oversaw the project through from conception to delivery, comments: “There was a strong understanding and trust between the entire team, which was informed by our shared collaborative history and high level of creative all around. Fin’s relationship with Collider goes way back, and we’ve partnered with Steve [Jackson, ECD of INNOCEAN], and Dan in the past. This meant that we could channel our focus towards what was best for the project, which was all the more important considering the tight turnaround. Fin brought its best work to the table here, and we were able to produce a fantastic outcome within the time constraints – a testament to the VFX artists here at Fin.”

Fall is now live and runs across all channels including Online, TV, Cinema, Digital, Print, and Outdoor.