Bellevue, WA 12/08/2005: Lightspeed Design Group’s newest marketing film for GMC takes viewers places they’ve never been before with a realism rarely experienced in a marketing film.
CONTACT:
Jeff Rische
Lightspeed Design Group
jeff.rische@LightspeedDesign.com
(425) 637-2818
www.LightspeedDesign.com
December 8, 2005
Lightspeed Digital Film Brings GMC Truck Experience To Life
Lightspeed Design Group’s newest marketing film for GMC takes viewers places they’ve never been before with a realism rarely experienced in a marketing film.
GMC’s mobile theatre, now crisscrossing the country, combines state-of-the art motion simulator technology with cinematic high-definition video to put viewers in the driver’s seat of a 2006 GMC Sierra truck. The marketing film premiered in October at the Anaheim Auto Show and is now touring the country with ongoing appearances at ABC Monday Night Football games.
“This project challenged us to bring a heightened level of realism and cinematic photography to a ride film,” said Lightspeed President, Chris Ward. “We had to draw on our digital filmmaking experience and combine that with our technical know-how in motion control. Few companies are equipped to do that, but I think the quality of the film speaks for itself.”
Lightspeed’s devotion to the “Professional Grade” theme of GMC trucks saw the company employing a 20-person crew for the film’s three outdoor locations, a professional Hollywood stunt driver, and the latest high-definition video cameras.
“When you immerse the viewer in a big-screen ride film, you have to pay attention to the details,” said Bob Mueller, Lightspeed’s film director. For Lightspeed, that meant rigging a special isolation-dampening mechanism so the camera could capture the feel of riding the truck, pre-plotting the slalom-like movements of the Sierra using a 3D computer simulation, and painstakingly blending complex composites and computer-generated imagery with live-action video.
To make audiences realistically experience each tilt, turn and twist of the hard-charging Sierra, Lightspeed used a state-of-the-art six-axis digital accelerometer positioned along side the camera. The accelerometer’s digital data, which precisely measured every turn, twist and bump of the truck, was synchronized to video and used to control actuators that moved each viewer’s seat.
The result: audiences feel every bump and jolt as the truck dashes down a twisty forest service road, feel the world sink from under them as they plummet to the bottom of a rock quarry, and experience full-on acceleration as the truck chases a tornado across the Midwest.
Lowe Worldwide, an international advertising agency, came to Lightspeed with the project, which had to be completed in a breakneck eight-week production schedule. “Lightspeed’s technical savvy, unwavering commitment and professional attitude made this a terrific production,” said Josh Litwhiler, Lowe’s producer.
The GMC project marks the most recent marketing film created by the Bellevue, Wash., company, whose automotive clients include Mercedes-Benz and Continental Teves. Lightspeed’s film for Continental Teves combined specialized 3D digital stereoscopic techniques with projection technology pioneered by Lightspeed.
For a Mercedes-Benz exhibit at the Los Angeles and New York auto shows, Lightspeed’s filmmakers used the world’s most sophisticated motion control system to produce 3,500 high-resolution (4k each) stop-motion shots. A signature stylized effect was created when the imagery was displayed with Lightspeed’s digital media server technology, DepthQ, on to eight high-resolution plasma screens.
For photographs, visit: www.LightspeedDesign.com
Lightspeed Design Group, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, is a highly skilled visual communications company providing creative design services for corporate events, museums and attractions. Lightspeed's clients include: Mercedes, U.S. Army, Continental Teves, Procter & Gamble, Nintendo of America, Imax Corporation, and Disney Imagineering.
Please contact Lightspeed Design Group, 1611 116th Ave NE, Suite 112 Bellevue, WA 98004 USA Voice: 425.637.2818 Fax: 425.696.0115
Email: info@LightspeedDesign.com Website: www.LightspeedDesign.com
