Description
Global cybersecurity leader CrowdStrike has joined forces with Zoic Studios and RadicalMedia for a Super Bowl LVIII commercial where sci-fi meets the Wild West. The spot, titled ‘The Future’, premieres in one of the prime time slots just preceding Usher’s halftime show.
The cinematic spot unfolds in the old west unlike it’s ever been seen before - horses pull hovercrafts past a bionic bartender’s saloon where a hologram plays the piano. The peace is almost breached when a gang of robotic adversaries, representing cybersecurity threats, intrude upon the scene. Fortunately, they’re left exposed and running for cover when a hero armed with CrowdStrike protection emerges to save the day.
CrowdStrike and Zoic Studios initially collaborated on the Adversary characters, designed to represent viruses and other threats, for a different spot. For this iteration, the brand’s in-house creative team wanted to make a statement worthy of the prime time moment. Leveraging Zoic’s experience on some of the largest shows in television and streaming, the two worked to incorporate the adversaries into a futuristic western scene - a stand out concept both familiar and new. With close collaboration throughout the entire process, Crowdstrike and Zoic sought a balance that would allow the characters to shine and entertain while staying true to the brand’s vision, explaining how its AI-powered software protects networks and businesses around the world.
During the campaign’s evolution, the Zoic team strived to find new ways to achieve - and surpass - visual targets more efficiently. The use of Gravity Sketch in VR served as the initial pass for the majority of the designs, allowing multiple versions to be worked through at speed; Houdini and Blender, meanwhile, were utilised to build and define procedural workflows, expediting the iteration process when detailing the surfaces of the environment, characters, and props. This strategic process of refinement extended onto set, where iPad Pros and Procreate became dynamic tools for concepting during takes, eliciting real time feedback from the client, director, and production designer.
Going all out for the Super Bowl, Zoic was granted greater budget and timeline flexibility, empowering the team with the resources to truly push the visuals to the next level. Director Tarsem Singh, DoP Brendan Galvin, and production designer Ged Clarke were key to the campaign’s success: the high quality raw footage they captured let the VFX studio focus on enhancement over correction.
Julien Brami, Creative Director at Zoic Studios, comments: “We’ve shared a strong connection with CrowdStrike ever since the first phone call - Doug Finelli, Zandy Ariss, and Marcus Johnson are all highly talented creatives who know how to communicate their direction clearly. As we’ve developed these adversaries together, we’ve really evolved our relationship and established a harmonious creative workflow. This time, they brought strong ideas for the overall feel of the final assets without being tied to specifics, allowing us to explore new ideas. We’d love for the audience to want to see more from the universe and characters - and we’re ready to explore new adversaries further if the opportunity arises!”
This professional campaign titled 'The Future | Extended Cut' was published in United States in February, 2024. It was created for the brand: CrowdStrike, by ad agencies: RadicalMedia and Zoic Studios. This Film medium campaign is related to the Electronic Devices industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted 10 months ago.
Credits
Client/Agency
CrowdStrike // IG handle: @crowdstrike
CEO: George Kurtz
CMO: Jennifer Johnson
VP Brand: Jessica Meyers
Executive Creative Director: Doug Finelli
Executive Producer, Media: Zandy Ariss
Brand Strategy Director: Molly Thornton
Creative Director: Jeff Gelberg
Associate Creative Director: Allie Kohr, Grace Friedman, Marcus Johnson
Brand Media Director: Jeff Taylor
Sr. Brand Manager: Sara Clark
Brand Manager: Heather Garrich
Senior Counsel: Katherine Neumon
VFX
Zoic // IG handle: @zoicstudios
Creative Director: Julien Brami
VFX Supervisor: Julien Brami
DFX Supervisor: Jonathan Vaughn
Comp Supervisor: Jeremy Price
CG Supervisor: Tim Francisco
Animation Supervisor: Patricia Binga
Asset Supervisor: Pascual Cervera, TJ Grant
Rigging Supervisor: Noah Schnapp
Lead Asset Artist: Casey Reuter
Asset Artists: Sinjin Treharne, Jase Brown, Pascal Polic, Venkat Vemula, Bruce Hiley
Animators: Denny Bigras, Anouchka Farrenc
Lighting Lead: Alec McClymont
Dynamics Supervisor: Jonathan Nelson
Dynamics Artist: Nicolas Fournier Gosselin
CFX Supervisor: Mario Pillet
CFX Artist: Yann Vanlerberghe
Rigging Artist: Drew Womble
Compositors: Brandon McMenamin, Fumi Mashimo, Hesham Hammoud, Nadine Blackler
Tracking & Layout Supervisor: Zak Johannsen, Ryan Lorie, Philip Rosado
Layout Lead: Troy Summerset
Tracking & Layout Artists: Steve Kazun, Alan Christoffersen, Robert Cvengros, Fran De
Vries
Roto & Paint: Einer Lopez, Chris Lucas, John Sagris, Donaji Suniga Rojas
Storyboard Artist: Chris Donaldson
Concept Artist: Paul Mellender
Editor: Andrew Renfro
Previs Artist: Lochlon Johnston
Executive Producer: Jason Cohon
Executive Producer/HOP: Sabrina Harrison-Gazdik
VP Production: Nick Vassil
VFX Producer: Mike Kruk, Sabrina Harrison-Gazdik
Coordinator: Josh Modglin, Kelly Parrenas
IO: An Dang, Marcus Lane, Kenn Roessler
Flame Finishing: Julien Brami
Media Agency
Nice + Company // IG handle: @niceandcompany
Co-Founder: Tim Nice
Co-Founder: Kelly Nice
President: Darren Fitzgerald
Media Director: Eric Daudenarde
Vice President: Eric Coolbaugh
Associate Media Director: Kellyn Lopes
Assistant Media Planner: Hannah Higdon
Editorial
Union Editorial // IG handle: @unioneditorial
Executive Producer: Vicki Russell
Editor: John Bradley
Assistant Editor: Katie Allison
Audio
Lime Studios // IG handle: @limestudios.tv
Audio Mixer: Zac Fisher
Audio Assistant: Klaudia Bennett
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Voice Talent: Sam Williamson
Colour
Nice Shoes // IG handle: @niceshoesonline
Senior Colourist: Gene Curley
Producer: Paul DeKams
Colour Assists: Tom Tomlinson, Matthew Annitto
Head of Production: Andrew Pandolfino
Executive Producer: Jason Farber
Sound Design
Howdy Sound // IG handle: @howdysound
Sound Designer: Dusty Albertz
Production
RadicalMedia // IG handle: @radicalmedia
Director: Tarsem Singh
Executive Producer: Frank Scherma
Producer: Susan Agostinelli
Director of Photography: Brendan Galvin
Production Designer: Ged Clarke
Costume Designer: Zelda Sellars
Production Designer Assistant: Finian Clarke
Spain Production Service: Goodgate
Talent
Crowdstrike Employee (Charlotte): Rose Wardle
Original Score
Composer: Douglas Fischer
Composition: Showdown