Virgin America's 35,000 ft 'Good Life'

 

 

 

The Mission teamed up with Tool of North America for a groundbreaking, high-flying interactive experience for Virgin America out of Eleven Inc., San Francisco.  The ambitious web tour allows viewers to experience Virgin’s innovative amenities, suave-club-like ambiance and also to meet some of the airline’s forward-thinking customers like restaurateur Vinny Dotolo, Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber and designer Dror Benshetrit. 

 

Click  HERE to “Experience how good life can be at 35,000 feet.”

 

The Mission was brought on to add the inspired slingshot transitions, titles in tracking sections, compositing and comprehensive color grading.  The Mission’s creative director Rob Trent and VFX producer Ryan Meredith spearheaded the project’s VFX and color.  Says Trent, “Maintaining the viewers’ interest throughout the story was key: we wanted them to keep sling-shotting themselves through to the end, so we made the transitions as seamless as possible, all with a consistent, Virgin-brand color palette to make it gel.” 

 

The Mission handled every slingshot effect, including the visually stunning opening on the SFO tarmac.  The viewer is launched from SFO airport upward to 35,000 feet to begin interacting under Virgin’s soft, magenta light.  Once we’re in the cabin, we see fliers comfortably sipping drinks while watching an actual baseball game from their seats.  A pitch soars toward the batter at regular speed, then ramps to super-slow-motion—1000 fps shot with the Phantom Camera—before freezing, giving viewers the option to hit the ball, or slingshot themselves, to the next tableau.  Once ‘slingshotted,’ we’re in the middle of a snowy forest, a movie, where a woman battles a mysterious beast.  Passengers look on rapt from their seats.  Next is a raucous concert, then a tour through one of Virgin America’s spacious planes where we meet notable individuals including a Virgin Galactic pilot Mark Stucky, see floating The Mission-created titles throughout and comped images on computer screens.  The experience closes on buttons that allow you to do it all again, see Virgin’s destination cities and view photographs taken by customers.     

 

 

 

Client: Virgin America

 

Title: “Experience Virgin America” 

 

Agency: Eleven Inc., San Francisco

 

Account Director: Rob Garnett                                   

 

Account Supervisor: Molly Warner                       

 

Account Manager: Tina Arguelles                       

 

Associate Creative Director: Ted Bluey                                   

 

Senior Writer: Joanne Torres                        

 

Senior Art Director/Designer: Matthew Wakeman                        

 

Senior Integrated Producer: Jeff Macke                                   

 

Integrated Producer: Christine Cheng                        

 

Head of Integrated Production: Anastacia Maggioncalda                        

 

Business Affairs: Michelle Potts                        

 

VFX Company: The Mission, Venice, CA

 

Executive Producer: Michael Pardee           

 

VFX Producer: Ryan Meredith                        

 

Creative Director: Rob Trent                                    

 

On-set VFX Supervisor: Michael Gibson                       

 

CG Supervisor Piotr Karwas                       

 

Animator: Samir Lyons                                   

 

Production Company: Tool of North America

 

Directors: Erich Joiner, Ben Tricklebank

 

Managing Director: Brian Latt                                   

 

Executive Producer: Oliver Fuselier                        

 

Executive Producer: Dustin Callif                        

 

Line Producer: Joby Ochsner                        

 

Director of Digital Production: Joy Kuraitis                        

 

Digital Producer: Kristen Koeller                        

 

Technical Director: Bartek Drozdz