Outsider’s Jorn Threlfall Puts on the ‘Light Moves’ for Mazda

“Light Moves,“ a spot for Mazda via JWT, Dusseldorf, pits man against machine in a ballet of light. Directed by Jorn Threlfall of Outsider, the ad – now airing in Europe and the UK – depicts a standoff of sorts between an artist and a new Mazda3, as each tries to outdo the other with the light shapes they create.

“We created imaginary light installations in a surreal environment on the water,” says Threlfall of the night shoot in Barcelona. “It felt like a mad, modernist playground. We had to complete the trajectory of the light in our minds. Important was a sense of elegance and grace, a balletic movement from the artist and car alike.”

The director achieves just that, as his lead – a French artist and musician – commands the light emanating from his fingertips as the car encircles him and answers his challenges at every turn. In the end, the two come together, their light-lines forming the image of a Mazda3 in the night sky. “I give a lot of credit to (VFX house) MPC,” Threlfall says. “This project required the right combination of reality and fantasy, and striking that balance is always a challenge.”

Client: Mazda

Spot Title: “Light Moves”

First Airdate: May 11, 2009

Agency: JWT, Dusseldorf
Creative Director: Eddy Greenwood
Creative: Jack Zeniewski
Producer: Tim Greven

Production Company: Outsider
Director: Jorn Threlfall
EP: Benji Howell
DOP: Ekkerhart Pollack

Editorial: Final Cut, London
Editor: Adam Rudd

Post/VFX: MPC, London