Mercedes-Benz EQS Vision Car Makes Its Presence Known Without Actually Being There
New York advertising agency, Merkley + Partners has recently made a collaboration with luxury German automotive company, Mercedes-Benz to promote the brand’s upcoming all-electric 2021 EQS vehicle. This sub-brand EQ model is scheduled to appear in showrooms during the second half of next year.
In order to announce the arrival of the trendsetting and eco-friendly vehicle, a commercial was made depicting just how the model will set the stage for a more sustainable future. The concept of the video is the EQS will essentially be a car that cannot be seen or felt within the environment, and so much so, that for the majority of the 30-second video, the viewers can’t even see the full-sized sedan; This truly exhibits the essence of “Invisibility.”
“We were essentially shooting a car spot without a car,” recalls Vico Sharabani, founder and executive creative director at creative company The-Artery, which helped develop the spot. “The biggest challenge was making sure that the EQ’s presence was clearly and artistically felt throughout the narrative with imagery that didn’t leave an environmental footprint. Thankfully, my team’s remote capabilities, resources and talent had the CGI pipeline in place for bringing to life this particular vision and message.”
The production of the shoot was done in late February 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The “Invisible Car” commercial was the last live-action video concept shot by Mercedes-Benz before the worldwide shut down production.
The first function was finding a location. The company chose the visually enchanting northern coast of California, Marin County, which was perfect for capturing the audience with its lush and rich beauty. The area is quite rural and hasn’t been bothered too much by development, with highways sit by redwood groves and sea-swept vistas. By happy chance, the spring rain allowed the area to bring its lushness to its full potential that even fooled initial viewers into thinking that the color was digitally enhanced.
Up next was the fun but not so easy part, which was creating the guise of a passing vehicle, but only showing the nature of it rather than its external form. Merkely + Partners were aided by The-Artery, an award-winning creative studio, which helped with certain measurements such as particular camera movements and important focal points for each scene.
Each scene that was shot came weeks after visual effects were put into place, which was also managed by The-Artery. Certain enhancements like natural movement of the grass and leaves were added to the scenes. Some stock footage was also added in order to better the visual story, those were also spruced up with visual effects to be on par with the other techniques and visuals of the rest of the commercial.
Towards the end of the video, we are finally greeted by the actual EQS and longtime voice of the brand, John Hamm saying “perhaps the greatest mark Mercedes-Benz can leave upon the world is to leave no mark at all.”
While the idea of being inconspicuous is obviously meant to be a metaphor, the application of a full-on sustainable car is something that Mercedes-Benz believes is very real. Although this type of accomplishment is very much considered to be highly complex, it’s in the company’s nature to take on projects that are presumed difficult.
Mercedes-Benz of Washington
When the time finally comes to purchase your brand new spanking EQS sedan, be sure to make your purchase at Mercedes-Benz of Washington, we have a wide range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles that are suitable for a variety of different needs.
Those who are interested in any of our models can simply view our online new car inventory and chat with a representative for further representative.