The advent of CGI has allowed us to realise things on-screen we never thought would be possible — from living, breathing dinosaurs, to giant transforming robots. But it’s become so over-used that over-the-top practical effects now draw the biggest wows from audiences, like Lexus’ use of countless LED-suit clad stuntmen to create one unbelievable parkour run across Kuala Lumpur.
Created by ad agency CHI&Partners, the multiple suits worn by the stuntmen each contained 1680 LEDs arranged to imitate design cues on Lexus vehicles, including the cars’ headlights. And every suit was wirelessly connected to a special piece of software that would trigger them to strobe on cue in a preset pattern.
Thanks to a team of 40 engineers, the stuntmen, even those hanging precariously over the city, were never in any serious danger. But the resulting animation still provides a similar thrill to the endless parkour videos slowly filling up YouTube. And if behind-the-scenes looks don’t spoil the effect for you, Lexus has put together this video detailing how the ad was made.