Responses by Matt Keats, associate partner and group creative director, Venables Bell & Partners.
Background: We set out to celebrate America’s 250th and the spirit of ingenuity that has shaped it for generations and to remind American drivers across all 50 states of the role Scout vehicles have played along the way, from introducing the original off-roader in 1960 to pushing EV innovation forward today with the new Harvester range extender.
Design thinking: The solution was simple; the execution was anything but. We needed to find a way to condense 250 years of innovation, ambition, invention and exploration into 60 seconds, as well as to introduce the Harvester in a way that carries the torch forward. To do that and stand out in a sea of patriotic slop, we focused on making every frame count, making sure not to take ourselves too seriously, that it felt grounded and earned, and that you could really feel it.
Challenges: Navigating the push-and-pull nature of incorporating both live-action and AI productions under the same timeline. Like the technology that this spot is introducing, the production was a crazy combination of new tools and the tried-and-true, making all those elements blend seamlessly was the ultimate production high-wire act.
Favorite details: There are two shots in particular that stand out—a lizard standing in the foreground of a rocket car breaking the land speed record makes me smile every time, and the moon boot making an iconic footprint on the moon. Both are great examples where new production tools and capabilities added creative value that may not have been possible otherwise.
New lessons: We learned something new every day, but most importantly, we learned that it’s very easy to make slop. To make something that will stand the test of time takes no less rigor and painstaking attention to detail than it always has.
Visual influences: Visually, we were inspired by any footage or treatment that felt archival, of the era, and eclectic in its composition and arrangement. Scenes that felt iconic and told entire stories in a single snapshot. Combining mixed media, cinematic recreations, famous faces, and breakthrough technologies kept it feeling fresh and less expected.
Specific project demands: Creating with AI is a different kind of production, but it takes a similar level of effort. Instead of coordinating crews, time, lights and talent to redo a shot, you’re reprompting, reiterating and rethinking these diffusion models to come up with something that you think can be usable in an edit—only to discover it’s slightly off, and you have to start all over. So the variable nature of an AI production will often throw a wrench into things.
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