Director Jay Walker is Drawn to Alienware in Latest Dell Spot

World-building creative lab Impossible Objects (IO) recently delivered a new spot for Dell’s Alienware, cleverly showing the gear’s undeniably strong 'pull' on gamers. The 30-second spot 'Gravity' visually transports viewers to new dimensions where their Alienware gear unlocks transcendent new gaming experiences.

Directed by Jay Walker, the spot begins by taking viewers through the Alienware campus and the Pro Lab, where gamers are using Alienware devices including gaming PCs and headphones. The gamers and their surroundings are then literally drawn into their devices by the mesmerising 'pull' of Alienware technology. 

The shoot was completed over three days in Los Angeles at three different locations, and the post was done remotely by a small team of IO artists. The IO team utilised a blend of traditional VFX work in After Effects, Maya, and Redshift that helped to elevate the look and feel of a cohesive 'pull' effect. VFX supervisor Ruel Smith shared how both visible and invisible VFX are seen in the ad – from animating an adorable CG goldfish, to using fishing line to get a practical shot of an actor’s necklace hovering in mid-air. Throughout, the IO team ensured that the VFX complemented Alienware products to let them shine in the spotlight, rather than be overshadowed.

“It’s a testament to how far technology and software have come that we were able to complete this spot fully remotely, with everyone collaborating on shots live even though we weren’t in the same room,” said Ruel. “We recently switched over to a virtual server hosted by Lucid Link, and we don’t see ourselves ever going back to a hard server or tools like Dropbox.”

Jay added, “This spot had a really fun creative brief to begin with, and working with IO to achieve the final spot was such a smooth process. Their talented artists pulled off a high-end look on a tight schedule, with the ‘pull’ effects seamlessly elevating the story.”