Mercedes-Benz recently debuted a new branding film created by Imaginary Forces (IF) and Frankfurt-based brand communications agency Markgraph at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. The seven-minute film is displayed on large LED screens at the stunning Mercedes-Benz auto show booth and demonstrates the luxury carmaker softer, emotional side. The film will also be seen in auto shows in Beijing, Detroit and Mercedes-Benz showrooms around the world.

‘We, along with the client, chose Imaginary Forces for this project because the company reflects an un-German, strongly emotional interpretation of the brand and could execute a particularly sophisticated film,’ says Martin Pesch, Markgraph Creative Director. ‘The result is a film that can be used around the globe.’

Fusing existing car footage and original content, the designers at IF integrated the top eight Mercedes-Benz models into distinct brand themes, such as comfort, luxury, high performance, reliability and environmentally-friendly design. IF shot architectural and natural elements, as well as people, faces and furniture, which complement the different narratives in the films and reinforce the themes.

‘The client goal was to present the brand in a very emotional way,’ explains Ahmet Ahmet, IF Creative Director. ‘Compared to other Mercedes-Benz product films, it has a very soft and warm approach.’

Scenes were also shot by IF to echo the forms and movements of the various models. For example, in one scene, the curved shape of a tree branch matches the contour of a headlight; while the sharply-defined edge of a building reflects the sleek lines of a trunk lid.

‘Subtle light designs ?‚àö√ë‚àö¬® from reflections to contours to partial illumination — unified the different personalities and branding themes throughout the film,’ explains Charles Khoury, IF Art Director. ‘The light guides people through the film.’

‘The collaboration with the agency was very fruitful,’ concludes Pascal Leister, IF Producer. ‘The insights we got from Peter Eberhard and Martin Pesch at Markgraph proved to be extremely helpful in making us understand the needs of Mercedes. This was truly a cross-cultural project, and with it aiming for the global market, the multi-ethnic team at IF was the perfect fit for the German partners.’

IF also commissioned Composers Ben Wynn and Jeremy Zuckermann to create evocative music that reinforced the emotional value of the visuals.

About Imaginary Forces
IMAGINARY FORCES (IF) is an entertainment and design company based in Hollywood and New York. Its award-winning work spans the diverse industries of feature film production, entertainment marketing and promotion, corporate branding, architecture, advertising and interactive media. IF recent work includes identity packages for Lifetime, USA Network, Animal Planet and MTV, as well as effective and compelling broadcast advertising for Nike, Toyota, Pontiac, Smirnoff and Lexus. In entertainment and media marketing, IF created campaigns for such films as Transformers, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Stepford Wives, Signs and both Men in Black films. The company also designed and produced main title sequences for The Break-Up, Ray, The Legend of Zorro, Band of Brothers, Spider-Man, and Seven, and produced the highly successful Blade trilogy. Combining architecture and media, IF has developed branded experiences for IBM, Morgan Stanley, Airbus Industries and the NFL Baltimore Ravens. The studio is also a principal partner in United Architects (UA), one of six finalists for the re-design of the World Trade Center site at Ground Zero. Combining storytelling, filmmaking and architecture to address the social, emotional, urban, national and international issues, the UA model is now a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art. UA recently collaborated on an immersive architectural media exhibit, ‘Bubbles in the Wine,’ for the ‘New York, New York’ exhibition in the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

About Atelier Markgraph
Atelier Markgraph is an agency for brand communication and theme presentations with offices in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Since 1986, Atelier Markgraph has conceived, planned, and executed events and exhibitions from a communication standpoint for various brands and companies.

From the ongoing support for Mercedes-Benz and DaimlerChrysler appearances at trade shows around the world, to museum installations, theme parks, showrooms, and corporate architecture, to the transformation of an entire skyline into an outsize stage with a production of image, light, and sound (‘SKYARENA’ ?‚àö√ë‚àö¬® the Frankfurt kickoff event for the 2006 FIFA World Cup): the requirements of each project realised by Markgraph are so completely different and unique that no set approach or recipe for success will work. Such amazing complexity means a neverending search among a variety of disciplines for the right solution. www.markgraph.de

Credits:
Client: DaimlerChrysler AG, Mercedes-Benz/Brand Communication

Designed & Produced by: Imaginary Forces (IF)
Creative Director: Ahmet Ahmet
Art Directors: Peggy Oei, Charles Khoury
Producer: Pascal Leister
Designers: Joan Lau, Brett Krauss
Animators: Angie Tien, Miguel Lee, Ryan Bosworth, Jason Lowe
Editors: Vic Carbonneau Jr, Carsten Becker, Peter Johnson

Advertising Agency: Markgraph
Producer: Peter Eberhard
Concept/Creative Director: Martin Pesch

Music Company: The Trackteam
Composers: Ben Wynn, Jeremy Zuckermann