The idea, Kneale elaborates, was to find charming playful elements to replace more mundane everyday fare. For instance, bumper cars replaced taxis; a rollercoaster fills in for the subway and spinning Teacups substitute for chairs in an airport commuter lounge. Despite the unexpected juxtapositions, it's normalcy that comes across in both story and action.

Kneale explains that the subway scene was shot on location in L.A. and then on green screen with practical rollercoaster elements pulled along by a tracking vehicle. Working with DP Joost van Gelder, the lighting on stage was matched to the location. The bumper cars were shot on three downtown L.A. street blocks that were locked off during the World Cup, quite a feat! Flame Artist Iwan Zwarts who VFX Supervised the job explains the idea was to make that scene look like a busy day with "bumper car traffic." Multiple plates of a dozen bumper cars in different positions were filmed, and then all the plates were seamlessly blended together in Flame.

"It was a good, old-fashioned compositing job," adds Gavin Wellsman, our Co-Head of 2D and Lead Flame on the job. "We got it in camera with multiple plates. The elevator shot, for example, was built as a practical piece that dropped just like a real ride at an amusement park. We combined plates and created CG rails for the ride to feel more grounded to the wall."

Coming soon, watch for our next epic spot for AT&T 'Werewolf'!