VFX-heavy Commercials
Traktionssysteme Austria (TSA) is the leading manufacturer of electromechanical drives for electric rail and road vehicles. The challenge: Target groups such as the GSE (Ground Support Equipment) sector, train, and bus operators need to be convinced in the shortest possible time.
The main problem is that the core product is completely invisible – hidden deep inside vehicles weighing several tons. How do you advertise something you physically cannot see? Traditional video agencies inevitably reach their limits here.
Acting as the operational backbone for visual presence, we bypassed all physical limitations. Through a targeted combination of CGI, VFX, and live-action footage, we put the drives in the spotlight. For Google Display Ads, we designed high-performance loops where the motor acts as the pulsating, glowing heart of the GSE vehicles.
The visual highlight is the 20-second one-shot film for the “Rail. Road. Service.” campaign: A CGI train rushes at the viewer, dissolves into a breathtaking X-ray particle effect, and reveals the motor. In a seamless flight, we dive into the digital machine, transition smoothly into real live-action footage of the TSA service department, and fly back out through lightning and electricity-visualizing CGI effects into a fully rendered coach bus.
Particle FX & Infecting Effects: Development of a complex particle system where particles are spawned precisely based on the angle and surface geometry of the vehicles. A programmed “infecting effect” triggers dynamic color waves.
Custom Lightning FX: Extensive R&D for fully controllable lightning strikes that perfectly match TSA’s Corporate Identity (CI). The electrical discharges spawn at specific coordinates and physically spread across the surfaces.
Hybrid High-Speed One-Shot: The technical masterpiece of merging these digital effects, complex CGI environments, and real live-action camera movements into a single, uninterrupted 20-second flight.
TSA operates worldwide. Their drives function under the most extreme conditions – from the deepest Nordic cold to the sweltering heat of the desert.
The objective was to communicate this global presence and absolute reliability in a commercial, without letting production costs and project timelines explode due to complex global shoots.
We created a visual journey around the world that combines real emotions with limitless digital environment design. The story follows two actresses on public transport. The common thread is a small marble symbolizing the globe, subtly reminding the viewer: in the background, the driving force of TSA is needed to keep public transport moving.
Through our software engineering and high-end VFX, we were able to completely create the extreme desert and ice landscapes via CGI, seamlessly marrying them with the studio footage of the actresses.
Globe Train Route FX: A custom Houdini setup that allows us to generate train routes across the continents of a globe extremely quickly, precisely, and with high visual appeal.
Liquid-Reveal FX: The Hummer’s body is formed using a custom-developed reveal effect that organically creates the vehicle’s surface like a flowing liquid.
Pioneering Video AI (Early 2024): Although video AI was still in its infancy at the time, our R&D enabled us to generate a complete in-between shot (the interior of the Hummer with the steering wheel) without compromising our high-end standards. The raw AI footage was subsequently refined through advanced compositing (comp) and seamlessly integrated.
