MPC, Publicis Italy and MJZ re-create the Monaco Grand Prix for Heineken F1

Continuing on from Heineken’s ‘When You Drive Never Drink’ ad featuring Formula1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, the brand has launched ‘The Tutorial’ directed by MJZ’s Nicolai Fuglsig as part of its global F1 partnership.

The film features former F1 driver and current commentator David Coulthard, showing a novice an insight into the high-speed world of Formula 1; from exclusive parties on yachts to the gritty tire changes in the pit lanes.

MPC were challenged to not only re-create the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, but to re-create it at night, something never done before. In order to realise Fuglsig’s hyper-real stylistic look, the VFX artists needed to re-create the glitz and glamour of the Monaco GP atmosphere, including spectators, race marshals, super yachts and fireworks that are present at Grand Prix races along with road markings, grandstands and barriers.

This was achieved through extensive matte paintings, CG grandstands, CG crowd replication, the odd CG car as well as extensive compositing work uniting all the elements. 

The limited amount of reference footage available due to the race being continually underway during the day was a challenge, and therefore extensive research was required.

Creative Director at MPC, Bill McNamara, comments “Right from the start we knew the shoot was going to be a big challenge because of the time restrictions around shooting in Monaco. After the first PPM it was clear that Nicolai had a very specific look in mind so we had to make sure we captured everything we needed. It was inevitable the crew would break up into smaller units which then worked very closely with Kasper & Nicolai to ensure they got everything in the style the guys were looking for.

It always great fun working with Nicolai and we’re really happy with the final films and how we have made the Monaco Grand Prix look as good at night as it does in the day.” 

Behind the Scenes