Audi R8 “Masterpiece” | Behind the visuals of this impressive portfolio project
Chris Leclerc is a director and cinematographer based out of Los Angeles. Over the past decade, his work has taken him to 35 countries and 6 continents. Chris recently wrapped this impressive portfolio piece, and when we heard how some of our video effects helped shaped the project, we had to get the full story. Be sure to check out the VFX breakdown below.
I’d been itching to do a project where I could push the level when it comes to dramatic lighting and cinematic shots, just something fresh for my portfolio that would raise the bar another notch for my upcoming client work. I had just picked up your 4K Luminary and Light Hits effects packs, so they were top of mind when I set out on this project.


“… how we found our talent is indie-filmmaking at it’s best.”
The story of how we found our talent is indie-filmmaking at it’s best. We pulled together a few friends to make up the crew and one had a connection who we thought really looked the part for the talent and agreed to do the project with us. We were scheduled to start shooting at 9pm on Friday night. We were on set, all ready to shoot, and we were looking at the time. It was 9:30 and we thought, “I hope this guy doesn’t flake out on us.” Then it’s 10pm, and still no sign of our talent. So we were all freaking out.
One of our grips went on Facebook and literally contacted 20 of his friends. He finally got ahold of one guy who turned out to be an actor and a model and showed up on set by 10:30pm. He stuck with us till 4am shooting, which was awesome. We had a problem and everyone was really resourceful in helping figure it out. It was a great collaborative effort by our whole team.
I’ve been fortunate to have gotten to know some really talented industry folks over the past 10 years and I had some specific folks I wanted to collaborate with on this project. I already mentioned Paul Theodoroff, who was DoP. The project simply wouldn’t have happened without him. Good sound design is important for any spot, but in an ad for a sports car, you definitely can’t skimp. Zak DeVries really delivered there. I can’t say enough good things about Tyler Roth at Company 3 for the incredible color grade on this project.
Featured Posts
Rolls Royce + The Mill
Working with Daughter.Studio, Mill+ created this stylish spot for Rolls Royce and their latest ‘Ghost’ model. The Mill’s VFX team utilized Legacy 4K glass overlays from Lens Distortions.
A week in Hawaii with Matt Komo
Get an adventurous perspective on one of the most beautiful states in the union and see how Matt uses our Luminary 4K glass overlays.
What’s New in Luminary for Video
To better showcase the diversity of looks in this pack, we’ve organized it into curated categories, created some quick clips to make one of the most popular use cases (transitions) easier, and added a few previously unreleased overlays to really round out the mix.



Collections
See how emerging artists and global brands use Lens Distortions in their projects.
“We used a flashlight to create of some of the in-camera lens flares, but we used Light Hits to really accentuate those and add the red color.”





“During production, it was reassuring to know I could fine tune the look with Lens Distortions.”

You can see more of Chris’s work on his website and you can also see more of Paul Theodoroff’s work on his website.
Explore the effects used in this post

Light Hits
Soft and simple. Light Hits is made from actual sunlight, and helps you quickly add a little extra pop to the corners of your shots.
Luminary
Luminary was crafted with fashion projects and luxury brands in mind and is filled with gorgeous overlays made from intricate glass elements.