New Light

Creative studio The-Artery brought Mercedes-Benz a glistening nighttime coastline with masterful day-for-night technique in the cinematic spot “New Light,” out of agency Merkley + Partners. The spot was produced by The-Artery, directed by CCO and Founder Vico Sharabani, and DP-ed by Oren Soffer, who co-DP’ed the upcoming sci-fi film The Creator, in theaters September 29, 2023 from 20th Century Studios.

Continuing their longstanding partnership with Mercedes-Benz, The-Artery elevated the ad’s storytelling with live-action production, editorial, post, VFX, color grading and finishing, turning a product demo into a cinematic experience for the audiences. The team navigated the isolated location and tricky shoot times to film the spot during the middle of the afternoon off the California coast, then facilitated a combination of masterful color-grading and visual effects to transform the landscape into buzzing night scenes. The bespoke creative system signals a new cost-savings measure for spots uninhibited by trials on-location.

Notes Vico, “Translating a day shoot into the moon-heavy scenic night was the best technique choice on such a short timeline with the right all-encompassing production and post teams, as well as a trusting agency and brand partner. The short amount of time--four weeks from shoot to air--and the knowledge of the creative team/brand gave us the freedom to pursue the most streamlined creative solution. We understand the world of feature films; when a client is comfortable allowing us to use that style, the final ad can be cinematically broken-down as a visual story, in which the product is the star.”