I’m directing a series of product commercials for Mattel this year… first up: Hot Wheels. This was a fun shoot in an idyllic neighborhood, where I was going to eventually have to digitally insert some Hot Wheels artwork on the side of the white panel truck we used in the plate. For other parts of the commercial, I had to create an entirely digital Hot Wheels car and the iconic track for an animation, seen below:
The camera was going to be right up on the CG car and track, which required me to give them an extremely high-level of detail and finesse to make sure they looked photoreal in HD. Comparatively speaking, the steadicam live plate of the beautiful Kim Nielsen as the mother, and my rockstar kid actor, Xander Taylor, were a cinch to capture. Brought my little boy on set, too, of course. By the end, he was calling action…