"The bold concept and tremendous production quality of this composition for Volkswagen lived up to its 'Singular Masterpiece' title." —juror Dave Curry
"The production quality is impressive and almost shocking. The art direction is thorough, the motion is seamless, it’s the Rolls Royce of websites—only it’s a Volkswagen." —juror Madison Wharton Marks
Overview: It's fairly common knowledge that Volkswagen's Phaeton is built at the Transparent Factory in Dresden. What most people don't know is what makes the car so special and as it happens the Phaeton had quite a story to tell; it led to this interactive journey that weaves in and out between the factory and the region's rich, cultural history. The site successfully compares the craftsmanship of past centuries with the unique way the Phaeton is made today and expands the perspective of what Volkswagen stands for beyond the economical "people's car."
• The project was in development for three months.
• Content consists of one main video, a large number of images covering the factory and Dresden, and a 360-degree interactive viewing of the car.
• Visitors can move in a variety of ways through the experience: sit back and watch in auto mode, scrub forwards or backwards at a personalized pace, or use the hotspot breadcrumbs to quick-speed navigate.
Comments by Doug Schiff:
How did this project compare with others you've worked on in the past? "For starters, this one had a bigger budget than any other and we had three months instead of five weeks to produce it. That provided the luxury of working with B-Reel. Credit goes to our client who expected a lot but gave us a good bit of rope."
What was the most challenging aspect of the project? "The centerpiece of the experience is a heavy four-minute interactive film. We had to figure out how to give users a seamless viewing experience instead of a painful waiting experience. First, we broke the film into four sections, then we streamed in a trailer that, when viewed, allows time enough for the first section of the film to load. While the first section plays, there's plenty of time for the next one to load…it worked out well for the most part."
