Scholar Falls Down a Rabbit Hole of Vehicle Performance for Colourful Castrol Spot

In their latest commercial for Castrol Oil, Scholar tells a tale of peak human and vehicle performance. The global campaign is their first collaboration with UK Representatives Friends Electric. The personification of Castrol’s story starts in the real world then quickly dives into the bottle, focusing on the driver to bring humanity to the forefront of the journey. After that, the camera chases Castrol’s 'Icons of Power' through supersonic environments, pivoting around fluid transitions that release into explosive moments, all to capture the addictive quality of speed and power. The spot culminates in an F1 racing car morphing into a rocket, fuelled towards the height of human achievement, before returning to the real world.  

According to director William Campbell, “This concept intrigued us because it was a story that could only be told in animation, and we wanted to push the medium to its limits.” Art directors Alex Bernas & Michael Cafarelli brought  their unique expertise in cel-animation & CG technique, respectively, to create a flavour that was ownable for the Castrol brand. “We extensively utilised reflections,” Michael said, “so everything in the traditionally cel-animated environment could be reflected on the 3D objects. This allowed the Icons to not just float above the vortex, but  instead drive through it.” 

For Scholar, the idea of power is the accumulation of momentum and the juxtaposition of scale, simply put, it’s a feeling. Their take on lensing, transitions, and editorial pace creates a narrative that literally takes the viewer on a ride, pushing them back in their seat. For Alex, “It was about showing the explosiveness that the product gives to the consumer.” The environments are all inspired by the streaks of speed visible out the window of a fast-moving car. They were used to create depth and send the viewer into warp speed as the brand colours culminate in an eruption of energy. The vehicles remain the focus but it’s the rollercoaster of performance that is the experience.  

It’s Castrol Oil, the product, told by animation.