"For most commercials that require some addition of snow in the background we take a minimal approach and just patch in some small areas," explained 3D Lead Artist Gawain Liddiard, "however on the VW mask we went all out with a full-on winter wonderland of snowy vistas. This posed a particular challenge in the driving shots as there was so much camera movement while we covered a wide range of landscape.  Furthermore, there were practically no snow effects in these plates as it was impossible for the crew to lay down artificial snow on such a long stretch of highway. Because of this, we decided to completely deconstruct the plate and rebuild our own snow drenched world using as many as 40 layers of projected matte paintings to build up a rich and believable image."

Such extravagant re-working of the background required the team to also treat the car and the road to match the newly designed snow. "Using 3D renders, we created matte painted snowy landscapes to accurately match the side panel of the VW Beetle and layered rendered patches of water across the road to create a subtle wet-down effect to tie everything together," explains Gawain. "Through this extensive work a vast amount of the final image is VFX work, yet it still respects the feel of the original plate, and more importantly the product."

With a cold and natural look set by The Mill's talented telecine artist, Adam Scott, VW demonstrates the irrelevance of seasons when you're riding in the beautiful new Beetle Convertible.