Forecourt of the Future

Electric cars will soon rule the roads. And when they do, our everyday journeys will look very different indeed.

Take refuelling stops, for example. At the moment, they’re all about speed and convenience: fill up, freshen up, grab a snack and get back on the road.

With electric vehicles, however, the experience demands a different way of thinking. Recharging takes time – up to an hour or more in some cases. So service stations will need to adapt and evolve, and provide digitally-enhanced facilities that help us use our longer visits productively.

Meet the forecourt of the future.

The brief

Team People commissioned us to bring this futuristic service-station experience to life, demonstrating how Intel’s hardware and software capabilities can deliver a new technology ecosystem.

Our brief was to depict a world where recharging is personalised, convenient and enjoyable. And to create a 3D CG forecourt where health facilities, dry cleaners, mail services and 5G workspaces are all part of the furniture.

As with any futuristic vision, our challenge was to make it both exciting and familiar enough to feel desirable and attainable. And to blend the CG elements seamlessly with live-action footage, demonstrating how Intel’s technology ecosystem can support the customer experience.

Our approach

This kind of service station doesn’t exist yet – so 3d animation and visual effects were the perfect way to show how it could look.

Using our specialised process for 3d and VFX, we created internal and external visualisations of the forecourt for the main brand video. We also created a separate 30-second social edit, taking viewers on a tour inside the building.

The challenge

For the video shoot itself, Wales was the destination. More specifically: a car park just off the A470 – often considered one of the most beautiful routes in the UK.

We hoped the stunning, mountainous setting would provide beautiful lighting for the forecourt scene. But, Wales being Wales, the weather had other plans. Conditions were heavily overcast, with the clouds and lighting changing every minute.

We captured the lighting on the day with a Theta 360 and HDRI map, then used the ACES colour workflow to apply the visual effects before grading.

Our grader did a wonderful job using the extremely varied lighting from the shoot day to create a moody, atmospheric film. One that perfectly captures the not-too-distant futuristic vibe of the overall piece.

Delivery

The forecourt facilities were a key component of the story, so an additional 30 second animation↗ was created for social channels. 

You can watch the main brand film here↗.

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Team

Producer - Amy Goodman

Creative Director - Alun D Pughe

Editor - Nick Ralph

Director of Photography – Thom Heald

Camera Operator – Dom Jon

Focus Puller – Jack Hayter

3d, vfx and compositing – Nymbl

Colour – Joshua Borrill

Composer – Sion Trefor

Sound – Michalianna Theofanopoulou

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