Just months before the iconic sports car ends its production, Pennzoil and JWT Atlanta have created what could be the very last film to feature the Dodge Viper.
The film drops viewers in the middle of a movie narrative following the driver’s attempt to locate and return The Last Viper to its rightful owner. The job isn’t over at the end of the 02:40 action-packed sequence – watch for the hint of what’s to come.
“After hearing auto enthusiasts’ overwhelming response to the end of its production, we decided The Viper was the perfect vehicle for us to feature in the latest Pennzoil film, The Last Viper,” said Jeremy Jones, Executive Creative Director, J. Walter Thompson Atlanta. “To many, the Viper represents the last great, American sports car – so we wanted to give it the send-off it deserves.”
The film features a Dodge Viper ACR with a powerful V10 engine that exerts 645 horsepower while drifting through downtown Miami. The vehicle is factory filled with Pennzoil, doubling the cinematic feature as a seamless product demonstration.
DIVERGE talked to Jones to find out more:
Who is the team behind this?
Walter Thompson Atlanta is the Agency of Record for Pennzoil and the creative agency behindThe Last Viper. We worked with Director Ozan Biron from Lemonade Films, as well as talented teams from The Embassy; Cycle Media; Source Sound Inc. LA; and Company 3. The stunt driver is Rhys Millen ofThe Fast and The Furious franchise.
Where did the idea for this campaign come from?
Pennzoil, over the last few years, has been known for its high-octane film series. When we started planning for this year’s films we knew we wanted cars that people had an interest in. With Dodge ending the production of the Viper and the public outcry that soon followed, we knew we had our car. And we wanted to do it justice. Giving it the send off it deserves, from the motor oil brand that runs through its veins. It is after all America’s greatest sports car.
Why would this be the very last film to feature the Dodge Viper?
Dodge ended its production this year and they have no plans of bringing it back. This video and the way we feature it as one of the main characters in the film could be the last time you ever see the viper in this way.
How was the production experience?
I’m like a kid in a candy store during these productions. I am the target audience for these films and I’m a car guy myself. Growing up both my dad and grandfather were Racecar drivers. On these shoots we get to push these cars to the limits. To really see what they’re capable of and then capture it in a violent yet beautiful way. And we’re working with the best precision driver in the world in Rhys Millen. It’s a total group effort. It’s been the same team for the most part for the last 4 films, so our chemistry is in super sync. We plan and prepare for these productions with the entire crew well in advance. And Pennzoil is the best client to allow us with their marketing and products to bring these visions to life. It’s a blessing to work on such an iconic brand and immortalize such an iconic vehicle like the Viper at the same time.
Additional thoughts?
These are modern day product demonstrations.
Sound design is a branding element we as a brand want to own. It allows people to feel the product that you otherwise can’t interact with once it’s in your engine. We spend a lot of time getting the sound right and recording the vehicles. It’s a key element to our films. We’re also starting to see people rip our sound design off too.
There are two more films still to come.
“Pennzoil Films – The Last Viper”
Film Credits List
AGENCY: J. Walter Thompson Atlanta
Chief Creative Officer: Vann Graves
Executive Creative Director: Jeremy Jones
Associate Creative Director/ Art Director: Lucas Heck
Associate Creative Director/ Writer: Marcos Piccinini
Account Director: Erin McGivney
Producer: Rhett Kearsley
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Lemonade Films
Director: Ozan Biron
Producer: Trevor Cawood
Executive Producer: Ted Herman
Production Supervisor: Philip Fyfe
DP: Tim Sessler
EDITORIAL: Cycle Media
Editor: Matthew Griffiths
Compositor: Peter DeBay
Additional editorial: Ozan Biron
VISUAL EFFECTS: The Embassy
VFX supervisor: David Casey
CG Supervisor: Michael Blackbourn
Executive Producer: Winston Helgason
VFX Producer: Danielle Kinsey
VFX Production Manager: Annie-Claude Lapierre
Asset Supervisor: Paul Copeland
SOUND DESIGN: Source Sound Inc. LA
Supervising Sound Designer & Mixer: Charles Deenen
Sound Designers: Csaba Wagner
Sound Editing: Braden Parkes
Sound Recordists: John Fasal, Travis Pratert, Charles Deenen
Composer: Colin E. Fisher
Colorist: Billy Gabor, Company 3
