Peter’s latest road trip is a handmade one, using an actor in a fixed position with a world that builds around him for an adventurous pixilation stop motion ad launching Citroën’s latest C3 model. One of the C3’s unique features is its extensive front window that allows the driver to fully see and experience the road in an unprecedented way. In an effort to show the extensiveness of the visibility afforded by the C3’s panoramic windshield, Sluszka has the driver maneuver through different landscapes, completely immersed in his environments. All the while the driver sings along to a remake of the track Hit the Road Jack, famously sung by Ray Charles.

Pixilation and stop-motion animation featuring a live actor interacting with dozens of props and set pieces gives this spot for the Citroën C3 a distinct in-camera feel. Photographed on a Canon 7D, actor Mike Ivers patiently posed for hours at a time while animators, art department, and a make-up artist changed the world around and on him. Roadways and bridges sprout from his shoulders, hair cedes to forest as he traverses a quilted map, and feathers and prosthetics transform him into a space traveling owl, all the while lip syncing the R&B classic Hit the Road Jack one frame at a time. Exposure sheets and Dragon capture software were used to keep track of the phonetics and action throughout.

Fabricators handcrafted a number of mini sets and oversized props to use for the ever-changing backgrounds that happened around, behind and on the driver.  From tall sky scraping buildings to the out of this world space adventure, each element was created in classic stop motion fashion.

The shoot for this spot was fast and furious. Pre-production lasted 3 weeks and the shoot was 7 days with 14 days of postproduction. The live action car was shot on location in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

An interesting note: the car drove on the wrong side of the street (in accordance with local law) and the license plate was made with the license number on backwards so the car could be flipped in post. The Citroën was filmed on 35 mm film using an Arriflex 435. A process trailer was used for the pullout revealing the live action, followed by a sequence with the camera mounted to a Russian Arm remote crane system.

Director: Peter Sluszka
 
Executive Producer: Michael Feder
Producer: Greg Bedard
Producer: Joel Kretschman
Director of Photography: Zak Mulligan
1st AD: Chris Bicknell
Gaffer: Michael Yetter
Best Boy: Matt Walker
Key Grip: Jeremy Rodriquez
2nd Grip: Luis Gonzales
Animator(s): Chris Gilligan, Matt Somma, Kevin Coyle
Production Designer(s): Anthony Henderson, Elise Ferguson
Fabricator(s): Nathan Asquith, Tim McDonald, Peter Erickson, Jacob Dyrenforth, Ben Phelan, Erika Bettencourt, Samantha Smith, Lillian Crowe, Ben Kress, Mike Cummings, Hasley Rodman, Olivia Foschi, Kerry Coutu, Connie Chan

Hair & Make-Up Stylist: Alberto Machuca
Production Assistants: Chris Kelly, Mike Storey, Tim Kuhl
Lead Compositor: Arthur Hur
Compositor(s): Andrew MacFarlane, John Harrison, Peter Fink,  Rosie Garschina

Designers: Tavet Gillson, Lindsay Mayer-Beug
Storyboards:  David Zung
Editor: Anita Chao

Car DP: Laurent Rodriguez

 
Client: Citroën

Jean Marc Savigné, Valérie Ponce, Cécile Barillot

Agency: H
Account Department: Hugues Reboul, Alain Cayzac, Emmanuelle Woerel.
Worldwide Creative Director: Gilbert Scher

Creative Director: Luca Cinquepalmi, Marco Venturelli
Head of Television: Christopher Thiery