2017 Lexus LC 500 Drives “Into the Light” – Making Pistons Dance on a Mountainside

By Steve & Tamami Laser

Projection mapping is a technical term that’s easy to understand. Picture yourself (pun intended) on the “Haunted Mansion” ride at Disneyland. Those taking busts in the graveyard scene that sing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” have been doing their thing since 1969 thanks to projection mapping.

The technology has evolved considerably since then, with artists now able to project multiple images onto huge objects – like a mountainside. Lexus turned to leading motion designer Edgar Davey and a team from projection mapping specialists QED Productions, led by Paul Whigfield, for ground-breaking projection mapping techniques in a new film.

In the same spirit of Lexus creative innovation that delivered the Origami-inspired IS sports sedan replica and the fully functioning ice wheels crafted for the NX crossover, the new LC 500 is celebrated in a film that pushes the boundaries of cinematographic techniques. The aim is to give viewers an immersive visual and aural introduction to the LC, before they actually experience the car in the metal.

The film was shot in a remote area of Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Davey produced a set of visuals that takes the viewer under the skin of the LC 500, evoking elements of its 467-bhp V8 engine and 10-speed transmission. He had to be sure each could be faithfully rendered when projected against the jagged mountainside – the film’s natural backdrop and the canvas for Davey’s artistry – requiring precise positioning of each camera and projector.

The filming required a team of 20 working long hours in the remote location. As well as the evocative projections, the film also focuses on some of the design and engineering features that define the new coupe, such its dynamic design, carbon fiber roof and retracting rear spoiler.

Inside the car, craftsmanship detailing such as the stitching of the suede-effect Alcantara trim and the sculpted surface of the magnesium gear shift paddles, is contrasted with the high-tech look of the 3D instrumentation that greets the driver when the engine-start button is pressed.