Blueprint use motion control to demonstrate airflow

Always looking for creative ways to create content, the new Lotus Eletre gave Blueprint a unique challenge. The car is designed to be porous, to let airflow through the body of the car. As one of the key pillars of the design language, this was a key element for us to show.

Lots of options were explored, including filming in a wind tunnel or even creating our own wind baffling, but the decision was made that motion control gave us the most flexibility.

Over two weeks of pre-production, the team pre-visualised every move they wanted to capture on the car. This allowed for experimentation and review with the client. With the key angles agreed, the team went into production at Black Island Studios.

Using the Bolt-X motion control rig, provided by Mark Roberts Motion Control, a blacked out studio environment was built with a large soft box to light the car in the most flattering way. The team battled reflections from every angle to ensure they could get the camera flowing past the car, without shooting itself or any part of the support kit.

After three days of filming, all of the motion control data was passed to our graphics team. They, in collaboration with the car designers, plotted the flow of the air onto a 3D model of the car. This was then rendered and composited with the original footage, to create the final product.

The finished film was used as part of the live reveal of the Lotus Eletre.