In anticipation of the launch of the 2011 Ford EDGE this fall, the agency creatives at Team Detroit called on the talent and proprietary Drive-A-Tron technology at SWAY for a series of computer-generated short films for the Ford Edge web site www.fordvehicles.com/edge.
As with the launch of the all-new Ford Taurus in fall 2009, the SWAY team was brought into the creative process early. The creatives at Team Detroit called on SWAY during the conceptual phase to create storyboards and preview possible location concepts. SWAY worked closely with Team Detroit to design all of the environments and directed all the elegant, single camera moves. They also created the CG animations and graphics from inception through final finishing.
Highly-stylized and hyper-real, the short films are interactive online demos that provide consumers with a sneak-peek 
at the new features of the 2011 Ford Edge, including its interior, exterior, speaker system, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS). http://tinyurl.com/27qc7az
According to SWAY Creative Director Mark Glaser: “This content is so important to the overall marketing strategy for the Ford EDGE,†he explains. “It conveys information that doesn’t fit well within traditional television broadcast spots. These demos exhibit the advanced technology benefits of the Ford EDGE.â€
Particularly interesting, points out Glaser, was that SWAY utilized Ford’s own Portable Data Model (PDM) to market the EDGE. “The PDM’s from Ford helped us create the particularly exciting inner structure views,†he adds. “These short films are very effective and we enjoyed bringing them to life for the EDGE, as we did with the la
unch of the Taurus last year.â€
Credits:
Advertising Agency: Team Detroit
Associate Creative Director: Jenn Powers
Art Director: Justin Ivey
Producer: Kim Harris
Project Manager: Adrienne Hasiam
VFX/Animation/Design Company: SWAY Studio
Creative Director: Mark Glaser
Executive Producer: Jason Cohon
VFX Supervisor: Aaron Powell
Producer: Aaron Abt
Coordinator: Shanelle Robertson
3D Artists: Art Sayan, Steven Wang, Robert Glazer, Cesar Chavez,
Thor Benitez
Compositing: Ken Littleton, Andreas Jablonka
Art Director (Motion Graphics): Dickson Chow
About Team Detroit:
Team Detroit Inc. brings together five of WPP’s largest marketing and communications agencies in one central location, including: JWT, Y&R, Wunderman, Ogilvy and Mindshare. Created in January 2007, WPP restructured its service offerings to provide best-in-class talent and more effective marketing partnerships, visit www.teamdetroit.com to learn more.
Team Detroit’s client roster includes Ford Motor Company, Bosch, Bell Helicopter, Compuware, Johnson Controls, Oakwood Healthcare System, Ohio Art, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Shell Oil Company, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Warrior Sports.
About SWAY: SWAY Studio is a leading animation, digital effects, and design studio. Founded by digital arts visionary Mark Glaser in 2002, SWAY produces photo-real Computer Graphic Imagery across multiple media platforms: feature film, television, 3D stereoscopic, web, mobile and print. Led by world-class creatives, SWAY helps advertising agencies and live action production companies produce more effective marketing content using innovative proprietary technology.
SWAY has produced blockbuster Visual Effects for feature films such as “2012†; CGI-intensive commercials for BMW, Budweiser and Burger King, to name a few; and the cinematic music video for U2 and Green Day “The Saints Are Coming.†The U2 video, which featured gripping VFX based on the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, was honored with an MTV VMA and the coveted Visual Effects Society (VES) Award.
At the heart of SWAY’s forward-thinking technologies is a stereoscopic (3D) pipeline led by VFX Supervisor Aaron Powell, who brings 20-plus years’ experience helming large-format, stereoscopic and 3D simulation experiences; and SWAY’s Drive-A-Tronâ„¢ driving simulation software, which simulates the actual physics of driving in full 3D and gives SWAY a significant advantage over other studios which hand animate vehicle motion.
www.swaystudio.com
