Upstream

Toyota joins the Super Bowl LV lineup with an inspiring film that captures the hope and strength of an athlete overcoming major obstacles in order to achieve her dreams. Film Director Tarsem and Saatchi & Saatchi LA present the journey of Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long through pivotal memories throughout her life, in a way that tangibly hits home for anyone familiar with training at a competitive level, or simply just chasing a dream.

Previsualisation

Performance Capture

Environments

Effects Simulation

Creature Design/Art Department

Direction

The beautiful story poignantly characterizes the struggles we all face throughout our own journey, with the ultimate message that in order to conquer the impossible, one must start now.

“From the first reading of the script, we knew this film would be special -- especially in the hands of a director as gifted as Tarsem.” said Framestore Creative Director, Alex Thomas. “It’s an incredibly inspiring true story of love, courage and hope -- moving and relevant themes, particularly for the moment the world finds itself in right now.”

a receptionist holding a phone at a desk floating on dark waters as someone swims by

a person swimming by a dimly lit house that is floating on top of dark waters

Framestore was responsible for the entire VFX process, from creative and technical consultation during pre-production, through to on-set supervision, as well as all shot execution. Using an array of tools including Maya, Houdini, Flame, 3D Equalizer, and Reality Capture, the team was able to create a convincingly surreal swimming pool in various different interior environments.

Most scenes were filmed in two parts, separating the set builds from the pool that Jessica swam in, so the on-set supervision was critical to ensuring the two worlds aligned. From there, the post production process was a collaborative, creative exploration as the tone of the film revealed itself, allowing the VFX team to flex their creative muscles. Set and water extensions, combined with extensive relighting experimentation, honed in on the purity of the message.

The spot came in at #5 on the esteemed USA Today Ad Meter after going live across digital channels in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

a person swimming through a dimly lit orphanage in dark waters

a child with an amputation sitting in a power position with their swimsuit and swimming goggles on. their prostheses are behind them. they are in an animated locker room. there are two children in the distance. someone is swimming by.

Press

The top 10 Super Bowl LV ads, according to USA TODAY Ad Meter - USA Today

Watch Toyota's Super Bowl Ad That Profiles The Journey of a Paralympian - AdAge

Toyota’s Super Bowl ad features moving story of Paralympian Jessica Long - CNBC

Watch Paralympian Jessica Long's incredible story in new Super Bowl ad - Today

Toyota’s Super Bowl Ad Celebrates Paralympian Jessica Long’s Powerful Story - Adweek

Toyota Shares Messages of Hope, Strength and Social Responsibility in Emotional Big Game Spots - LBB Online

Toyota “Upstream” Super Bowl Spot by Tarsem and Framestore - Stash Media

Credits

Agency

Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles

Director

Tarsem

Production

RadicalMedia

VFX

Framestore

Creative Director

Alex Thomas

On-Set Supervisor

Martin Lazaro

Producer

Katie Buckley

Production Coordinators

Emily Rawl, James Gemmell

Compositing Supervisor

JD Yepes

Flame Artists

Marguerite Cargill, Carlos A. Gomez, Theo Maniatis

2D Nuke Compositors

Alexander Osvaldsson, Paul Krist, Michael Miller, Eva Flodstrom, Belinda Chen, Piotr Bednarczyk

CG Artists

Andrew Thompson, Cosku Ozdemir, Kevin Gillen, Kira Yu, Marco Marenghi, Richard Shallcross, Sean Dollins, Soren Barton, Taylor Hodgson-Scott, Todd Herman, Walter Fulbright

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