Lapierre Xelius
The Xelius and XR films contextualise Lapierre’s flag-ship racing bikes in an imaginary new way by journeying inside athlete Duke Agyapong’s mind while in a racing simulation, and capturing Amira Mellor’s competition against her own shadow.
simulation as a hologram light
Two films for the new Lapierre bikes: Xelius and XR. A brand that’s about elegance and French heritage. We shot the scenes in a large film studio black box, where we build two digital art installations and work with high-tech light design to create a juxtaposition between the bike’s USP and our real-life sports character’s emotional journeys.
In the first Xelius film I wanted to capture the emotion of the bike rider, by going inside his head. The installation we’ve build shows both a physical and a psychological connecting with the rider and his bike. We’ve mapped 3 lasers lights with a rear video-projection to suggest an immersive holographic setup. In the montage it’s not clear what is technical analysis and what is his mental projection of a next summit horizon.
next race: her own shadow
In the second XR film our hero is a casted shadow from the biker who is always backlit by a modern light installation race track. Intercut with a heat camera, as if we can film inside the human body and capture her psychological fears and shadows...
The bike is always central in this energetic visual story, showing the XR’s USP in a serie of beautiful dramatically lit closeups while the race takes place. This way we tried to cinematically capture the bike and the rider like never before seen in a biking sports campaign.
“Listen to my voice as I count from ten. No, the film is not a countdown. It goes far beyond that. Every second of it is a moment of deep connection with the bike. Every ride is one less excuse left behind. Every new dimension is an invitation to go further. To your next record. To your next track. To your next... whatever you project into your mind. You’re beginning to feel strong. You feel alive.”
“A hologram version of the bike appears in the screen when the laser light senses the edges of the actual bike in this science-like installation. A digital horizon transforms into a photorealistic mountain summit. He’s taking a deep breath of natural fresh air: pure mental & physical focus... ”
credits
| athletes | Amira Mellor, Duke Agyapong |
| director | Ruben Van Leer |
| producers | Philippe Avendaño Vera, Jolien Snyders |
| prod.co | Artillerie |
| DOP | Ezra Reverda |
| 1st AD | Thomas Rohde |
| focus.pull | Paco Kumar |
| gaffer | Stijn Jonkhart |
| grip | Bjorn Schumacher |
| art.director | Justin Jansen |
| laser design | Wes Broersen |
| SFX.lights | Jelle Steijnen, Robert De Vries |
| motion.GFX | Tom Geraedts |
| visuals.assist | Thijs Visser |
| styling.MUA | Estefania Ter Heerdt |
| PA | Siebe Stolk |
| edit | Amber Hooijmans, Pieter Bokhorst |
| compositing | Becanti Wijnbergh |
| colorist | Wietse van Bezooijen |
| finishing | The Compound |
| sound.mix | Evolsound |
| sound engineer | Alexander Nezhinskiy |
| music | Rimer London |
| photography | Rein Kooyman |
| BTS | Willems Kantine, Ilya Schulte |
| suppliers | SingelFilm, Het Raam, React, Beamsystems, Locatiewerk |
| DEPT agency | Manuel Di Tolve, Dennis Gijsbers, Kimberley English |
| marketing | Barry Schmits |
| client | Accell Group, Lapierre |
filmmaker & media-artist
