Working with Infinite Form and Lively Agency, I served as Creative Director on two technically ambitious and visually striking projects for Mazda. Both combined dynamic first-person storytelling with immersive real and imagined environments, designed to reflect the visual language and experiential values at the heart of Mazda’s approach to car design.

Each production brought its own challenges and required bespoke technical solutions. Across both, careful planning, close collaboration and agile problem solving were essential.

Filming spanned a range of striking locations, from Iceland to the French Riviera, the Italian Alps and London. The creative challenge throughout was to capture the sensation of driving in a way that felt immediate, immersive and emotionally resonant.

We developed a custom camera rig mounted directly to a Mazda MX-5, combining eight cameras including stabilised DSLRs with unique fisheye lenses, 360° cameras and compact action cams. Some cameras captured the driver’s movements for animation and performance matching, while others were stitched into a highly detailed panoramic 360° view of the driver’s perspective, capturing the authenticity and sense of place from each location.

The on-location footage was paired with a carefully choreographed green screen shoot, in which an actor replicated the original driving performance. A mobile lighting rig was moved in real time during a single-take performance, allowing the lighting team, camera crew and performer to work in precise coordination. The result ensured the performance and the quality of light matched the natural conditions captured in the footage from the original shoot.

All of the filmed elements were composited and combined with CGI elements, VFX and graphical animations. The result was an experience and environment that felt cohesive, credible and cinematic.

What stood out across both projects was the scale and fluidity of the collaboration. Whether on remote mountain roads or studio sound stages, success relied on shared understanding between creative, technical and production teams. Every element, from rig engineering to VFX compositing, required shared attention to detail, flexibility and trust.

These projects not only delivered immersive experiences for the brand, but also showcased what’s possible when teams bring curiosity, precision and trust to complex creative challenges.

More details about the project can be found via Infinite Form