Crafting the One

General Motors’ latest brand film is a vivid reimagining of the factory floor as a recording studio - where every cinch of metal, lick of paint and line of code plays a role in composing something greater than the sum of its parts. The goal was to take an iconic song and completely dissect it - breaking it down stem-by-stem, using each piece of instrumentation to represent a different stage in GM’s manufacturing line. The process involved meticulous orchestration, sound design and choreography, culminating in a performance on the actual factory floor in Michigan—where we played aloud a set of newly refreshed and reworked stems, and coordinated the physical movements of each department with their respective instrument. Originally conceived by David Droga, the idea evolved over the better part of a decade, and would ultimately become his final campaign before retirement. Throughout the film, we’d see - and hear - each discipline at work, crafting and refining as if they were musicians in a songwriting session, playing and iterating in rhythm as they find their way to that perfect melody. As the car comes together, so does our song, joining in chorus as the engine roars to life. In the words of director Jovan Todorović - “the building of the car isn’t scored by the music; it is the music”. After an extended exploration, Elvis Presley’s ‘If I Can Dream’ emerged as our clear choice of song. Debuted as the powerful closing number of his iconic 1968 comeback special, the track’s stirring lyrics, the gravitas of Elvis’ voice, and the enduring image of the artist himself made it an ideal fit for the creative - and for a storied brand like GM. Further, unarchiving the original session from the revered Royal Philharmonic version allowed us to delve into an especially intricate orchestral arrangement, and assign an instrument to every point along the production line: clay-modeling would be our brass section, interior design and upholstery our drums, the audio-visual team our guitar, and of course, the engine - brought to life by Elvis’ unmistakable vocal. We methodically replayed and reimagined stems throughout, letting the story unfold slowly— mirroring a musician's process as they experiment with ideas and work through a part. These individual elements were then brought to the GM factory, where we thoughtfully choreographed the movements of each department, transforming the act of manufacturing into a performance art.