Inspired by the light trails left by cars in long exposure photographs, Volkswagen Canada’s launch campaign for the all-new 2012 Jetta GLI shows performance in a whole new light. Forgoing Hollywood-style, computer-generated effects for a more authentic achievement, the spot exhibits a “painting” created by the headlights and tail lamps of the 200 horsepower GLI, the high-performance version of Volkswagen’s popular Jetta model, as it streaks around a darkened parking lot.
In order to help keep it real, Red Urban Canada, one of Volkswagen Canada’s advertising agencies, brought in Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Hubert Davis (Untitled Films) to direct. Davis and his director of photography, Adam Marsden, developed a filming technique employing two different cameras – one video and one still camera – focused on the same image using a beam splitter, a device usually reserved for 3D filmmaking. Armed with a couple of these unconventional setups, one situated at road level and the other 14-stories up, the team was able to capture both the high-speed manoeuvering of the Jetta GLI as well as long-exposure photographs of the resulting light trails from the exact same angle.
In addition to the commercial and a short “making-of” documentary (also shot by Davis), the campaign will include some innovative out-of-home executions celebrating the Fall launch of the Jetta GLI featuring the actual long exposure photographs taken during the shoot.
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