Edu Torres and Diego Cavallaro, the founders of CG studio two&tall, just dropped this passion project, an intense spec spot for Aston Martin where complex technical challenges are well-hidden under a sleek and atmospheric exterior.

Torres and Cavallaro: “We’ve always been fascinated by the visual poetry of the Northern Lights and this was the perfect opportunity to bring that phenomenon into direct interaction with a high-performance vehicle. The goal was to create a cinematic piece where the aurora doesn’t just exist in the background — it becomes a living character that responds to and enhances the presence of the car.

“The Aurora Borealis is a naturally abstract and complex phenomenon — dynamic, translucent, and constantly shifting — which made it particularly difficult to replicate convincingly in a fully 3D environment. We explored several approaches, starting with volumetric lights and then experimenting with full 3D volumes. While both methods offered promising results, they also came with limitations — especially in terms of scalability and rendering performance.
 

“The goal was to create a cinematic piece where the aurora doesn’t just exist in the background — it becomes a living character that responds to and enhances the presence of the car.”

 
“Ultimately, the solution that delivered the best visual fidelity and flexibility involved using layered cylindrical shapes with animated opacity maps. This method allowed us to scale the aurora effects both broadly across the landscape and intimately close to the camera — even interacting closely with the car — without losing detail or realism.

“Lighting was another critical hurdle. Since the spot was set at night, we needed to strike a careful balance between maintaining a moody, low-light atmosphere and ensuring the car and environment were properly visible and stylized.

“Traditional day-for-night techniques weren’t quite enough, so we developed custom lighting setups that mimicked natural night conditions while giving us full creative control. This hybrid approach gave us the visual richness we needed while keeping the final look consistent with the tone of the project.”
 
 

 
Credits:
Production: two&tall
Director/animator: Edu Torres, Diego Cavallaro

Music/sound design: Mauro Cavallaro