Everest for Intel

Director Errol Morris, production company @radical.media and Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners, teamed with Visual Effects Supervisor Randy Balsmeyer and Big Film Design (BFD) to create base camp on Mount Everest in a :30 spot for Intel’s Centrino Mobile Technology Unwired campaign. Balsmeyer had previously worked with Morris on his documentaries, The Thin Blue Line and A Brief History of Time. The combination of Balsmeyer’s creative effects know-how and Morris’s spontaneous direction proved to be an effective combination for creating the feeling that the viewer is huddling with climbers in a blizzard at 17,000 feet.

Principal photography took place over two nights in a rock quarry in West Nyack, New York, with Peter Donahue as DP. Marc Langley of the Whitehouse edited the spot, incorporating a still photo of Everest by David Breashears, taken during the filming of his Imax film Everest.

Jim Rider was the principal Flame Artist, with snow, clouds and icy breath contributed by 3D Artist Amit Sethi, both of Big Film Design. Freelance Flame Artist Tony Robins added his expertise to two of the shots as well. All the effects work was done at BFD’s Manhattan studio, which features a new Flame suite in addition to their existing 2D and 3D resources. The spot was composited in 25P HD for multi-format distribution worldwide.

Executive Producer for the agency was Joe Guyt, Producer for @radical.media was Julie Ahlberg and Producer for BFD was Kathy Kelehan.