ABOUT

Framestore worked with esteemed director and long-time collaborator Daniel Kleinman at Rattling Stick, MarkenFilm GmbH, and creative agency Antoni, to deliver the VFX-laden campaign ‘King of the Jungle’ for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Combining an unorthodox pairing of alpha businessman and jungle giant, Framestore’s skilled 3D artists crafted an astonishingly believable hybrid character for the piece, which premiered at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 16 September.

Framestore was tasked not only with the creation of the lion-man and its cameo-making cub in the closing moments of the film, but environment and vehicle augmentation throughout to best showcase the sleek new S-Class. The dream-like state entered into by the lion proved a creative challenge, prompting collaboration across the wider team as they sought the best possible visuals to pinpoint the vehicle’s key comfort features.


Pre-production saw Framestore get up close and personal with Artis, a real reference lion, as well the new vehicle, kept closely under wraps. The team entered a 3.5 month post-production schedule, in which they built, animated, rendered and composited the majestic lion head into the film. The lion-man’s cub, seen in the closing moments, was a combination of skilled 2D and 3D work.

The dream sequence, which was crucial in demonstrating the vehicle’s new comfort control functionality, tested Framestore’s asset to the max, with its mix of nuanced human actions and extreme macro close-ups. Photographic elements shot on set - lens flares, water spray, fibre optics - were carefully manipulated and intercut with the lion’s close-up facial reactions to create a narrative of a feel-good, sensual reaction to the S-Class’ features.


Framestore was also responsible for creating pristine, modern environments for the film, which would duly reflect the Mercedes-Benz brand, as well as reconstructing the S-Class in post due to the top secret nature of the original shoot.

The project was a triumph of Framestore’s creature-creating teams, who used the new Houdini 16 fur system and Mantra render engine to great advantage in their build of the CG lion. The fusion of man and animal pushed the animators to skillfully blend two sets of behaviours, whilst the dream sequence allowed space for creative iteration of the ‘feel’ of the new S-Class.