Core Facts
- Toshiba debuts world’s first "timesculpture" commercial, an evolution of the "bullet time" technique made famous by The Matrix
- Groundbreaking £3million ad campaign manipulates "moving snapshots of time" using more than 200 Toshiba - Gigashot camcorders
- Soundtrack is provided by Crystal Castles, whose singer, Alice Glass, topped NME’s 2008 Cool List last week
- Integrated campaign to promote Toshiba’s new range of upscaling products – TV, DVD and laptops - that convert standard definition TV and DVD images to near high-definition quality
Toshiba has cemented its commitment to leading innovation as it premieres the world’s first Timesculpture advert on national television.
Timesculpture is a stunning progression of the ‘bullet time’ technique made famous by films such as The Matrix. Rather than showing a 3-D rotation of a still moment, this groundbreaking new filming process manipulates moving snapshots of time using Toshiba technology, redefining cinematic human movement.
The shoot was made possible via the construction of a purpose-built camera rig, weighing over half a tonne and housing 200 Toshiba Gigashot HD camcorders. Over 20 Terabytes – 20,000 Gigabytes – of video data was used, taking over 336 continuous hours to process.
The pioneering technique, created by Hungry Man’s Mitch Stratten, was embraced by Grey London to symbolise the step change of Toshiba’s new upscaling technology, itself an important development in television history. Toshiba’s new technology allows its new range of LCD TVs to ‘upscale’ standard-definition (SD) broadcast content - such as a Freeview TV signal or a DVD - to near high-definition (HD) quality.
With 99 percent of TV content still broadcast in standard-definition[1], thousands of consumers who have purchased ’HD Ready’ TVs have been left confused and dissatisfied at the lack of free-to-air high definition broadcasts. Toshiba’s upscaling solution bridges this gap in the market[2], allowing consumers to enjoy near high-definition image quality without incurring the expense of subscription-based high-definition content.
[1] GfL, 2008
[2] Toshiba's upscaling range is full HD-TV ready
Quotes
Matt McDowell, Marketing Director at Toshiba comments: “Leading innovation is a philosophy that drives all parts of Toshiba’s business. Our new advertising campaign is a natural extension of this belief, and we’re absolutely delighted with the results. Toshiba’s technology made all this possible, providing ultimate endorsement for the range.”
“The case for upscaling technology is laid bare for all to see. As people rush out to buy their HD ready TVs, believing their investment will automatically deliver enhanced visual quality on-screen, they should consider that there’s actually very little HD content out there to view. Our TVs, whilst remaining future-proof, offer customers the chance to watch TV and DVDs at near HD quality at the touch of a button.”
Jon Williams, Chief Creative Officer at Grey London comments: “Toshiba's upscaling technology is breathtaking. Only a visual metaphor of the magnitude of Timesculpture could represent the step change you'll get from standard definition screens. It’s a celebration of what Toshiba innovation can do for people, itself made possible by Toshiba technology.”
Boilerplate Statements
FACTS ABOUT THE SHOOT
- The TV ad was shot using 200 Toshiba Gigashot Cameras: the highest number of moving image cameras ever used in a film sequence
- This particular technique, viewing looping action in 360 degrees, has never been done before
- The rig was custom built weighing approximately half a tonne, including 200 cameras and electronics
- The rig measures 14m diameter circle and 1.8m high
- The 200 cameras were all triggered using a single remote control
- Once the rig was built, four focus pullers spent three days focusing and aligning all 200 cameras
- The time spent processing footage from 200 cameras was over four weeks - 24 hours a day seven days a week!
- New offline and online editing software had to be specifically built for the job
- In terms of data, this is one of the biggest jobs a post-production house has ever taken on - 20TB of data
NOTES TO EDITORS
The full 60 second advert premieres on 10 November on ITV and Channel 4 for one week. It runs for a full three weeks on Sky television. This will be complemented by a 30 second version that will feature on ITV1, 4Digital, Five, Sky, IDS and ITV4 w/c 10 November for one week. The next two weeks will see 20 second edits appear on all the above channels.
Production Partners
Production Company: Hungry Man LTD
Director: Mitch Stratton
Editor and editing company: The Whitehouse / Christophe Williams
Post-production company: The Mill
Music: Crystal Castles – Air War
Voice-over: Kira Lauren
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