Some commercials make you want to buy the product. Others make you want to jump in the driver's seat and take the long way home…
This project had all the ingredients of a classic truck commercial: a massive RAM truck, enormous 40-inch wheels, muddy roads, rugged mountain scenery, and a towing winch that looked like it could pull just about anything out of just about anywhere.
But here's the twist: this commercial wasn't really about selling a truck. It was about reminding people to buckle up.
The project was created in collaboration with our bodacious friends at Penna Powers, who developed the concept and wrote the script. Their creative vision set the direction for the entire production, and they stayed involved from start to finish to make sure the finished commercial delivered exactly what they envisioned.
Our job at Savvy Productions was to take that great concept and turn it into a finished spot that looked and felt like a national truck commercial, right up until the audience discovered the real message.
Here's how we made it happen…
Pre-Production: Finding the Perfect Road to Movie Magic
Before we could get that awesome truck rolling, we had some serious planning to do.
The concept called for the kind of truck commercial you'd expect to see during a big sporting event. We needed a rugged truck, a great location, an actor, and plenty of mud.
And this wasn't just any truck. It's honestly the most manly truck we've ever had on a production.
The challenge? We were filming early in the year, when Utah wasn't exactly looking like the picturesque setting you'd expect in a truck commercial.
We explored locations throughout the state, including Logan, Bountiful, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Park City, Heber City, Nephi, Payson, Alpine, and several others. Some locations had too much snow, while others had bare trees and weren't giving us the look we wanted.
Eventually, we found a rad small stretch of dirt road and private property that gave us the right backdrop and, just as importantly, room to create the muddy conditions we needed.
We secured the filming permits, found our actor, coordinated the truck, and worked through the many logistics of making the shoot happen.
Throughout the process, Penna Powers remained involved, helping guide the creative direction and making sure the production stayed true to the original concept.
We love working with an agency that cares about the details and is just as invested in making the final product awesome as we are.
Production: Three Days, One Massive Truck, and a Whole Lot of Mud
We had three fun days to capture everything. Each day brought a different location, a different challenge, and a few opportunities to make a mess.
Day 1: Making a Mud Pit
What's a truck commercial without mud?
For the first day, we needed a massive mud pit that would let the RAM show off what it could do. That meant bringing in water and figuring out how to get it to the right place.
Getting a water truck into the area wasn't exactly easy, but it made a huge difference. Once we had the mud ready, we could capture the kind of shots that make truck commercials so much fun to watch.
Who doesn't love getting paid to make a mess?
Day 2: Taking the Truck Into the Mountains
For day two, we moved to another location and filmed along a dirt road winding through the mountains.
We brought out our 8K RED camera and drone to capture the truck from a variety of angles. We were looking for that classic rugged truck-commercial look, with the RAM cruising along a steep mountain road surrounded by picturesque trees.
There was just one problem: early in the Utah season, finding a location with the right scenery was tough. We eventually found a stretch of road with some of the only picturesque trees around.
The road was rocky enough that even our stunt driver wasn't immune to the bouncing. By the end of the day, the ride had made him a little sick!
But we got the shots we needed, and the footage gave us some great material to work with in post-production.
Day 3: Taking the Truck to a Virtual Stage
The third day brought a completely different challenge.
We needed footage of the actor delivering lines while driving the truck. Doing that safely on a road wasn't practical, especially with the muddy conditions we were working with.
Our solution was to film at a Virtual Stage XR Studio.
This gave us a controlled environment where we could capture the performance without having the actor actually drive and deliver lines at the same time.
We also needed to create the illusion of mud splashing onto the windshield. We didn't want to scratch the truck's paint or leave a giant mess all over the studio, so we came up with a special fake-mud mixture that included chocolate baking powder.
It worked, and the studio smelled pretty great, too!
We made a big mess, but at least it wasn't a mess that would scratch the paint on that beautiful truck.
Post-Production: Turning the Footage Into a National-Style Commercial
Once filming wrapped, it was time to bring everything together, which is our superpower.
The goal was to make the spot feel like a traditional national truck commercial. We wanted viewers to see the powerful RAM, the muddy roads, the mountain scenery, and the rugged driving shots before revealing the commercial’s true message about seat belt safety.
Our editing team worked through the footage to build the story and create the right pacing. We also had some additional challenges to solve.
Adding a Little Digital Movie Magic
Remember those early-season Utah locations? They weren't always as green and picturesque as we wanted.
That's where visual effects came in.
We digitally added trees to several shots to make the scenery feel fuller and more like the classic truck-commercial look we were going for. We also didn't get quite the sunrise we wanted, so we added a sun digitally to help create the right atmosphere.
From there, we brought everything together with color grading, audio sweetening, motion graphics, and the finishing touches that help a commercial feel polished and complete.
Penna Powers stayed involved throughout post-production, providing feedback and helping ensure the finished spot delivered on their original creative vision.
It's one of the things we appreciate most about working with Penna Powers. They care about the creative details, they collaborate throughout the process, and they're invested in getting the best possible result for their client.
The Finished Product: A Truck Commercial With a Bigger Message
The finished spot looks and feels like a rugged truck commercial, but its message is much more important than horsepower, oversized wheels, or a monster towing winch.
- It's a reminder to buckle up.
We loved the opportunity to work with Penna Powers on this project. They brought a fun, clever concept to the table, and their involvement throughout the process helped make sure the final commercial stayed true to their vision.
It was a great collaboration, a fun production, and a chance to use a little extra movie magic to bring a creative idea to life.
And while Utah's early-season weather and scenery gave us a few extra challenges, they were no match for Team Savvy.
Have a creative concept that needs to come to life? Savvy Productions works with agencies and businesses to turn big ideas into polished commercials, marketing videos, and other video content you're proud to share.
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