Toyota and Burger King launch music campaigns for the 2023 VMAs

STUCK IN MOTION, a creative studio and post-production company, worked with Paramount Brand Studio to launch campaigns for Toyota and Burger King at the 2023 VMAs, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on September 12.

Toyota returns for its fifth year as a partner of the VMAs and, for the first time, as a sponsor of the prestigious MTV Video Vanguard Award, which honors artists for their outstanding contributions and profound influence on music video and popular culture. Previous winners have included David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Beyoncé, and this year the award was given to pop star Shakira.

Paramount Brand Studio has created a 90-second tribute to Shakira’s artistry, music and creative cultural influence directed by Spencer Parker, directed by Stephen Winzeri and produced by Lair to air in the lead-up to her VMA performance. The car drives audiences through the streets of New York in an all-new Toyota Prius, magically revealing performances of some of Shakira’s biggest hits including Chantaje (feat. Maluma), Hips Don’t Lie, and Suerte (Whenever, Wherever).

Stuck In Motion was instrumental in bringing Toyota’s ambitious creative brief to life, which envisioned the Prius moving deftly through the three musical performances and environments. The car was captured parked in place in studio environments, and STUCK IN MOTION was able to push the car through performances using expert visual effects and compositing.

“Every venue we do for the VMAs has its challenges but globally, time is of the essence,” commented Tommy Scholl, Executive Producer, Creator and Director at STUCK IN MOTION. “We literally spend weeks preparing and running scripts.” “Different so that post-production can support the production 100% and be very efficient once the footage is in our hands. We have to be ready for anything.”

For Burger King’s VMA spot, Paramount Brand Studio teamed up with DJ Steve Aoki to remix the Whopper Whopper song that went viral earlier this year. In the 75-inch film, directed by Brittany Chanel Green, directed by Kajal and produced by Fela TV, the audience looks on as Aoki is inspired by the recurring phrase, “Whopper, whopper, double whopper, junior, double, triple whopper.” He created a catchy tune that transmitted through his studio speaker to the world. The infectious beat gets people nodding and dancing, bringing friends together and amplifying the life of the party.

Due to time constraints and Aoki’s availability, filming was postponed only a few days before the required delivery. The STUCK IN MOTION team was available to supervise and edit VFX while traveling, in order to meet the set deadline. Additionally, the studio supervised visual effects artists at home and in two other countries to realize the final film, which was accompanied by a social teaser trailer and additional 15-inch trailers that aired during the screening.

“Our process is to start ‘publishing’ long before the shots arrive,” said Deb Reichman, Executive Creative Director of STUCK IN MOTION. “We listen to the first pre-pro calls, cut the animation before shooting, and troubleshoot issues during the shoot, which allows us Delivering a rough cut in a few days rather than weeks.Paramount Brand Studio brings us into collaboration earlier and earlier every year, and the mutual trust we’ve built allows us to achieve the impossible no matter how ambitious.