Freefolk has just shared with VFXWorld and AWN a new VFX breakdown reel for the studio’s work on a commercial for car manufacturer Škoda. Created by FCB London, the global campaign for the brand’s new electric model, the Enyaq, showcases the vehicle's aerodynamic features; the 60-second spot was created in collaboration with directors Ian Pons Jewell, Yukihiro Shoda (Prod Co.) and Freefolk. The short poses the questions, “So, what happens when you drop a car and an umbrella in a vacuum chamber?” Well, without air, everything moves in the same way, and the car falls slowly through the chamber at the same pace as an umbrella before landing on the ground, intact. Safely back on the ground, the car exits the vacuum chamber and drives in the real world, illustrating that, thanks to its design, it moves beautifully even where there is air. In crafting the campaign, the Freefolk team, led by their Creative Director Jason Watts, built a CGI replica of the biggest vacuum chamber in the world – the NASA Space Power Facility in Ohio, United States – and plugged in all its calculations to see how the Enyaq and the umbrella would realistically fall in that environment. The design of the chamber took inspiration from NASA's vacuum chamber. To match the NASA chamber, the VFX team created brushed aluminum panels for the walls to reflect the surrounding light. The goal was to make it modern and sleek to align with both the Skoda brand and the car’s aesthetic. To simulate a space with no air, the team used simulated physics models for both the car and the umbrella release mechanism. The car and umbrellas movements were slowed down to 10% of their actual speed to achieve a dramatic slow-motion effect. The VFX team had to create a smooth and elegant transition from the chamber’s interior to the lush, exterior forest environment.  This was one of the most challenging aspects of the project along with the intricate material properties involved in the car design Watts comments, “We built an entire CG forest inspired by the live-action scenes of the commercial, it was populated with various tree species, shrubs, stumps, twigs, and other assets, along with a CG road to complete the scene.” He adds, “For the CG car, we had to replicate the two-tone base layer and clear topcoat, the goal being  to match the real car’s materials as closely as possible, particularly for one driving shot where we transition from a CG car (viewed from underground) to a live-action plate. Achieving a seamless transition between the two was key to maintaining visual consistency.” Rob Farren, Creative Director at FCB, said, “The team at Freefolk are some of the best I’ve worked with in the industry, both from a CG and collaboration perspective. Their attention to detail for the creation of the car, vacuum chamber and forest environments was flawless throughout the entire project. It looks even better than we imagined and is testament to their perfect combination of technical skill and creativity.” Source: Freefolk Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.