Volvo Trucks has launched “The Tower feat. Roger Alm”, a commercial featuring a colossal truck tower, with four new trucks stacked on top of one another. The Tower film is set in the dead of night and starts by showing the truck tower as a huge monolith glowing in the distance. As it moves forward, we see wolves in the foreground and catch a glimpse of a female driver. As the film reaches its climax, complete with smoke and lighting effects, we see that the man standing on top of the truck tower is actually Volvo Trucks’ president Roger Alm. The Tower is designed to demonstrate the power and strength of its four new vehicles, the Volvo FH, Volvo FH16, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX. The four trucks will represent about two thirds of Volvo Trucks’ deliveries in Europe.
”This is our biggest launch ever at Volvo Trucks. They will have a huge impact on our customers’ profitability and ability to compete both for business and the best drivers. I´m used to being on top of things, but for me, shooting the truck tower was definitely an unusual day at work. And let’s just say I have a certain respect for heights. I´m a down to earth guy,” said Alm.
The film was shot in late 2019 on a testing ground outside Volvo’s hometown of Gothenburg. Both the truck tower and the majority of the visual effects are real.
”It took about a month to design and build the tower and make sure it was safe to drive. Essentially, this was made possible thanks to the sturdy construction truck, the Volvo FMX, and its new 38-tonne bogie being able to carry the weight of the others. But it also required a steady speed and course, accomplished by the Volvo Dynamic Steering technology and a skilled truck driver,” said Markus Wikström, engineer at Volvo Trucks and part of the engineering team behind the tower.
See the behind-the-scenes video.
See the Volvo Trucks Tower teaser.
Volvo Trucks Tower Credits
The Volvo Trucks Tower campaign was developed at Forsman & Bodenfors by art directors Mattias Berg and Josefin Roxeheim, copywriters Olle Langset and Hampus Elfstrom, designer Jerry Wass, and agency producer Lena Sellman.
Filming was shot by director Andreas Nilsson via Bacon, with director of photography Jakob Ihre, managing director Mette Jermiin, executive producer Samuel Cantor, producer Karl Wettre, line producer Jakob Berlin, coordinator Danielle Ekblad, 1st AD Robert Diment, 2nd AD Ronald Meier, prop master Zeke Soderlund, motion control operator Allan O. Lukow, stylist Natalie Olenheim, stunt director Seth Ericson, drone operator Daniel Casselby, and SFX supervisor Johan Hamesk.
Editor was Peter Brandt with assistant editor Nikolaj Dahl.
Postproduction/VFX was done at BaconX by VFX supervisors Jonas Drehn, Jan Tvilling, executive post producer Eliana Carranza-Pitcher, VFX producer Louise Bejerholm, colourist Hannibal Lang, color assist Soren Gamborg Knudsen, concept artist Ditte Marie Ludvigsen, previs artists Tom Crate, David Lessel, CG artists David Lessel, Arthur Dalvig, Mats Andersson, Gemma Aliaga Costa, Erik Sundkvist, comp artists Mario Maruska, Mikkel Hansen, Jacob Carlsson, Oliver Buus, and Kai Hauswirth.
Music is “Conquest of Paradise” by Vangelis, from soundtrack for Ridley Scott’s 1992 film 1492: Conquest of Paradise.