A new ad for Telstra's Mobile Xoom showcases the one stop shop production capabilities of Engine and its harmonious collaboration with agency DDB Sydney.

With a core message of connectivity in different locations and at different times on Australia’s most reliable mobile network, the new ad features highly detailed scenes woven seamlessly into one virtual journey via the mobile tablet.

Creative director Simon Robson said DDB wanted Engine to show the Telstra Motorola Xoom in a variety of different locations, emphasising the reach of the Telstra mobile network.
"It occurred to me that instead of just cutting from one location to the next, finding engaging ways of transitioning between locations could highlight the way the Xoom allows people to connect in many locations and ways," he said.

"The main thread is that there are always a pair of hands on the Motorola Xoom tablet using a different rich media application each time. I designed a board where the tablet is seamlessly passed from one person to the next from scene to scene. The ad starts in a bus, moves through a bedroom to the back of a family car and finally arrives at a parkside cafe – all in 30 seconds, all in-camera with an apparent one-shot feel."

The Engine team along with their production designers re-created a teenager's bedroom complete with bespoke music posters, meticulously re-built the interior of an Australian bus, hacked up a car and built rigs with sections that could gracefully spin together in camera, resolving to a sliding exterior cafe.

"We wanted to fit as many different locations into the ad as possible to highlight the extent of Telstra’s coverage," Robson said. "There's also a high level of continuity between scenes and transitions that engage the viewer. The passing of the tablet goes from female to male and old to young, again emphasising the social aspect of this type of technology and its mobility."

Also onboard was multi award-winning cinematographer Peter Menzies Jr. (Die Hard, Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk) who spent a week with Robson, the Engine team and a full production crew. The commercial was shot in Sydney’s Centennial Park, at Down Under Studios and in Engine’s own studio.

Engine executive producer Adam Wells said he was delighted that their end-to-end approach had once again paid dividends for both Telstra and DDB Sydney.

The ad began airing nationally on 31 July.