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    W+K NY, Director Rupert Sanders Mark Ford’s F1 Return Via “Moving Portraits” and Caravaggio-Inspired Realism

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments188 Views

    Rupert Sanders of MJZ directed this Ford Motor Company :30 titled “Proving Ground” from Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) New York. Lensed by DP Roman Vasyanov, ASC, RGC, the spot cuts through the high-octane blur of typical racing footage with “moving portraits” inspired by the paintings of Caravaggio. Using dramatic lighting and radical naturalism, the sport of F1 auto racing is slowed down to show the deliberate, gritty choreography of engineers and drivers fighting for fractions of a second.

    The spot is part of an extreme racing campaign that marks the return of Ford to F1 and includes a “micro-docuseries” of spots which debuted on Apple TV this past weekend, tapping into Apple’s sequential viewing capabilities, running across the three days of the Australian Grand Prix. (Ford is the official F1 sponsor on Apple TV.) Instead of interrupting the coverage, the “micro-docuseries”–directed by Behemoth (the W+K New York creative duo of Zak DeLange and Andrew Congleton)–tells stories during what would normally be ad breaks. The series of :15s star real Ford Racing engineers as parallels are drawn between extreme racing and how that engineering innovation makes it mark on Ford vehicles for consumers.

    Also slated to debut during college basketball’s March Madness is Ford’s “The Off Road to Greatness,” a film–directed by Sam Pilling via production company Magna–which takes a relentless, unforgiving approach to capturing the spirit of off-road dirt racing, focusing on the visceral physical toll the terrain takes on both machine and driver.

    Here is the Sanders-directed “Proving Ground”:

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    Credits

    Client Ford Motor Company Agency W+K New York Stuart Jennings, Matt Mulvey, global executive creative directors; Eyob Yirgou, sr. copywriter; Simon Allen, sr. art director; Henry Jinings, design lead; Nick Setounski, global head of production; Jessica Griffeth, global executive producer; Ariana Jefferson, producer; Alix Toothman, global executive strategy director; Alex Danks, brand strategy director, U.S.; Michael Hines, brand strategy director, global; Lindsay Carbone, sr. brand strategist. Production MJZ Rupert Sanders, director; David Zander, president/exec producer; Molly Griffith, exec producer Robert Helphand, head of production; Laurie Boccaccio, producer; Daniel Gonzalez, production supervisor; Roman Vasyanov, DP; Christian Van Fleet, 1st AD; Jamie Vickers, production designer; Anette Cseri, wardrobe stylist; Dominie Till, make-up artist. Editorial Work Editorial Neil Smith, editor; Victor Medina, post producer; Alejandra Alarcon, exec producer; Chris Wronka, Griffin Ver Steeg, editorial assistants. VFX Preymaker Color Grade Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist; Brendan Mills, producer; Ed Rillie, head of production. Motion Design Spectacle Studio Sound Design & Mix 750mph Sam Ashwell, sound designer & mixer; Rachel Saxon, producer.

    Media Type:Commercial: Television
    Video Tags:MJZRupert SandersW+K New York



    Team One and Director Sebastian Strasser Create “The Last Real Man” For The RealReal

    Monday, April 13, 2026

    Isn’t it nice to know that some things are still real?

    In a world increasingly crafting fakes, replicas, and perfectly rendered simulations, there are fewer and fewer places that still celebrate authenticity.

    On a day dedicated to lighthearted hoaxes and twists of fate, it seemed a perfect time to release a film that explores what’s real, and not.

    That tension sits at the center of “L’ultimo Uomo Reale” (“The Last Real Man”), a new film from Team One and director Sebastian Strasser, in partnership with the marketplace for authenticated luxury resale, The RealReal.

    Conceived as a response to The RealReal’s 2024/25 “Ask Yourself What’s Real” campaign theme, the film pushes that question further, by exploring the growing tension between perception and reality in today’s digital world.

    At a moment when much of the industry is using AI to scale content, this work flips the lens—using it as both subject and storytelling device. A humorous, slightly unsettling take for anyone who still values the real thing.

    Directed and rendered by Strasser, the piece constructs a hyper-real world that feels convincingly human—until it begins to fracture. Subtle glitches give way to a full unraveling, exposing a carefully engineered illusion.

    “We’re moving into a world where ‘real’ is no longer a baseline—it’s a premium,” said Chris Graves, Chief Creative Officer, Team One. “We wanted to create a story that lets the illusion hold just long enough to feel convincing—then disrupt it, so you’re forced to reconsider what you’re actually looking at. Because what carries value now isn’t just craft. It’s credibility.”

    Team One was inspired by The RealReal’s authentication process... Read More

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