360K views under 24 hours. That’s the sort of result for a brand film that makes an advertiser smile. The advertiser is Formula E. The agency is Uncommon.

The film is here:

No Turning Back launches Season 8 of the All-Electric Motorsport World Championship, capturing the drama and intense sporting rivalries of drivers and teams.

Action, drama, suspense, adrenalin and cinematic magic. It’s the ultimate “car chase” with unusual features that include a horse as a vehicle and a Korean dining room ad London theatre as parts of its course.  No Turning Back is an intense, powerful and unapologetic view on the sport. 

The film shows the world that the competition between drivers to win the Championship is part of a bigger, relentless race to fight climate change through the adoption of electric mobility solutions. No Turning Back builds on the Change.Accelerated. positioning Formula E launched with Uncommon last year, which encapsulates Formula E’s vision to accelerate sustainable human progress through the power of electric racing.

Formula E was built on a recognition of the impact of sport as a force for good. it was founded to counteract climate change by accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, a mission which has since evolved to an all-encompassing race for better futures, aligned with the FIA’s commitments.

This year, Formula E will deliver that message globally in Season 8 with the biggest race calendar yet featuring 16 races in famous city centres around the world such as Mexico City, Berlin, New York, London, Monaco and for the first time ever, Jakarta, Vancouver and Seoul. The season begins with an E-Prix double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on January 28 and 29.

The film was directed by Sam Walker through Pulse Films, pulling off the ambitious production in an action-packed four days. Each cinematic scene posed its own challenges with rearing horses, tracking vehicles, stunts, combat scenes, choreographing large numbers of extras, and huge scale art direction.

The racing scenes were created using cutting-edge Unreal CGI program — a technology used across the best video games. The exact details of the track and cars were meticulously recreated using precise reference from real Formula E races. A large portion of the track, finish line and crash site, complete with full-size crashed car, were then created in real life on location to match the race footage. The film is also set to a specially created driving Drum n Bass score.

Henry Chilcott, chief marketing officer, Formula E, stated, “Building on last year’s Change.Accelerated. campaign and Formula E’s positive vision for the future, this year’s campaign pulls focus on our racing. In essence it’s a film rooted in the racer mentality — that no matter the odds, you find a way to compete and you never give up. Set against the backdrop of a dramatic and surprising race through iconic global city centres, the film launches our narrative for Season 8 — No Turning Back — and underlines Formula E’s unshakable conviction in its power to accelerate electrification and redefine the future of motorsport for fans around the world.”

James Drummond, managing partner, Uncommon, added: “Formula E embody the future in everything they touch and do. It’s what they represent and where they are destined which gets us excited, as we highlight in our latest campaign. This environmentally charged film shines a light not only on the grit and determination of the exceptional drivers but also on the unpredictability of the races themselves and the important climate issues we can’t turn back from either.”

The campaign is running across TV, cinema, digital and social in the UK, Germany, US and other global markets throughout the rest of Season 8 in 2022. Channel 4 also becomes the exclusive free-to-air home of Formula E in the UK with all 16 races airing live on Channel 4 and All4 or the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel, more than any previous season. All4 will serve as the catch-up destination for all the action from the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Credits:

Creative Studio: Uncommon

Client: Formula E
Chief Marketing Officer: Henry Chilcott
Marketing Director: Alex Aidan
Senior Marketing Manager: Catherine McCartan

Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Sam Walker
Editor: Joe Guest @ Final Cut
Pulse Producer: David French
Pulse Executive Producer: Lucy Kelly
Production Manager: Kishan Patel
Editing Company Producer: Nikki Porter
DOP: Stuart Bentley
Creative Consultant: Alex Barber

Post Production Company: Rascal Post
Grade & Colourist: James Bamford
VFX Supervisors: Andrew “Barnsley” Wood and Russell Tickner
Lead 3D: Russell Tickner
Lead 2D: Andrew “Barnsley” Wood
2D: Ben Stonehouse, Rich De Carteret, Paul Wilmot & James Corden
AFX: Matt Osborne
Online: Holly McLean
Rascal Executive Producer: James Beck

Music Title: Fast Charged
Composed by Joel Hartman & Luis Almau
Published by Soundtree Music Publishing Limited
Master Controlled by Soundtree Music Limited
Audio Post Production: Jack Sedgwick / King Lear

Service Production Company: Radioaktive
Service Production Company Producer: Olya Kosenko

Media Agency: MediaHub
Media Planners: James Green & Edore Evuarherhe