As with any project, be that CGI, Motion or Virtual and Augmented Reality, the essence of the message that needs to be portrayed can sometimes be forgotten. Retouching is no exception, and more often than not the importance of understanding this message is the most significant factor in producing a great set of images.
We were contacted by BBH to help with KV’s for the launch of the new Audi A7 and S7. Whilst quality is constantly on the rise, we still see many automotive ads in China that are overly retouched with super shiny vehicles devoid of any personality or subtlety. Often this is a high-contrast, razor-sharp CG-render comped into stock locations with not a hint of environmental reflections or lighting. So we are always excited to have an opportunity to show our sensibilities. Having previously worked together on the Chinese car brand Qoros, BBH were keen to get us on board again.
In fact, the level of ‘humanity’ often missing in a poor automotive ad was very important to get right here. The campaign revolves around the indefinable nature of the Audi A7 driver, in depicting the aspirational personality of the car owner rather than just bluntly plugging a faceless product. It’s a refreshing and innovative approach to the creative but the visuals have to work also.
The vehicle beautifully shot by Oliver Paffrath, alongside Beijing Eye, needed the usual level of care and attention to detail, but the greatest challenges in retouch came from some other aspects of the shots. In the LED feature shot, the Audi A7 owner is in a cafe sipping a coffee bedazzled by the Audi he sees through the window. “Don’t just think it only has beautiful eyes” is a rough translation of the tagline. Reflection shots are always tricky. Get it wrong and it could look like he is a ghost that is haunting the image.
Looking at reference images of this effect it was clear that in real life this image could be messy and visually confusing. So it was important for us to keep things as simple as possible and not to distract from the car. The talent had been shot as a reflection in glass with a very dark background, which gave a great starting point. Some coffee tables and chairs had been shot to give him context but they were not reading clearly. We removed a lot of detail from the outside environment to make the reflections easier to see.
However, we still needed a few stronger cues to suggest this was a reflection of a man in a real environment and not just a floating head. In the end we sourced, shot and illustrated some interior lights to give perspective and a sense of space as well as coffee cups to give context and other abstract reflections. From there we worked closely with the agency to make sure we had enough chaos to keep things believable without it becoming too distracting.
The S7 interior shot was another challenge, and was about how the Audi S7 driver feels true passion inside but doesn't feel the need to show it off on the outside. Which is a pretty tricky concept to show when you have only one still image to work with. It’s even more difficult when the client doesn’t like the model’s face and her expression isn’t quite right! We put Eva Jin, our best beauty retoucher on the case for a spot of cosmetic surgery. In the end, with a change in colour to her top that reflects her vibrant personality, we found the right amount of femininity - an independent young woman with determination in her eyes.
So, was the work a success? Absolutely. The care and attention that went into retouching was mirrored in equal measures by the time spent perfecting the exact message we wanted the shots to evoke, alongside great photography that allowed us the scope we required. Sensibility and personality at it’s best.
