The new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera has made its debut with a starring role in a new film by the innovative image maker Nick Knight. Placed centre stage amidst a bold piece of contemporary cinematic art, the DBS Superleggera’s poise and power are vividly re-imagined through Knight’s unique vision.
Nick Knight is a long-standing Aston Martin owner with a passion for bold forms and striking imagery. A true pioneer in digital photography and filmmaking, Knight combines his mastery of image-making technology with a unique eye for portraiture, still life, fashion photography and the moving image.
Working with the SHOWstudio creative team, who together have built up an impressive portfolio of fashion films, bringing together technology and traditional techniques to create a bold new aesthetic. Knight has collaborated with many of the world’s most pioneering fashion brands, including Alexander McQueen, Jil Sander, and Christian Dior. His modern baroque imagery has redefined fashion photography, bringing the genre into the modern age.
At the start of the process, Knight sat down with Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman and his team for a briefing on the character and qualities of the DBS Superleggera. ‘I asked what the single key attribute of the car was,’ Knight says, ‘and the answer was ‘speed’. The DBS Superleggera is Aston Martin’s flagship, a super GT that pushes the boundaries of performance and design.
The DBS Superleggera has been brought to life through Knight’s dazzling use of photography and CGI, and the shoot was produced by PRETTYBIRD. A location shoot in a former steelworks provided key shots, environments and backgrounds, which were then blended in to Knight’s trademark post-production. ‘I like to push the frontiers of non-narrative film,’ he says, ‘it’s about weaving in a set of emotions and responding naturally to what you see.’ A hugely complex 3D model of the DBS Superleggera was then animated, with dynamic reflections that morph and flex in time with the soundtrack.
Fast-changing angles, ‘impossible’ computer generated camera moves and perspective shifts convey a sense of speed and power, with the DBS Superleggera bursting from this kaleidoscopic array of dynamic animated forms. Animation and reflection creates a sparkling and futuristic monochrome landscape that appears to shift and melt around the car. ‘
Nick Knight’s portraiture work provides a unique insight into a personality, and the DBS Superleggera is no different. The dark and menacing imagery symbolises the car’s colossal power output and torque.
