Lexus and Federico Mazzarisi Explore Generational Connections

Two spots that capture authentic depictions of everyday life for an Asian American woman and her father, as well as for an Indian American cricket player – who just happens to be a star here in the U.S. – recently broke on targeted media. Created by the LA multicultural agency IW Group, they were directed by Federico Mazzarisi of Quriosity Productions and mark the second collaboration between the director and the agency for Lexus this year. 

“Colors” opens with an Asian American woman and her father as they unload flowers from her Lexus RX 350h while the voiceover talks about how every generation needs space to grow. Next, we see her sketching blooms on her tablet before the pair is off again, heading for an art installation titled “Generations.” On the way, we see the Lexus RX in motion and featuring its technology and performance. The spot ends with father and daughter standing before an immersive floral display splashed across a screen that fills the frame.

In “Across the Line”, acclaimed U.S. cricket star Saurabh Netravalkar is seen heading for a neighborhood youth cricket match in his Lexus RX 500h while the voiceover talks about “performing at the highest levels.” He arrives just in time to toss a ball to a young female player and asks whether she used the technique he taught her.

Both spots feature stylish depictions of the Lexus RX, along with touches that reinforce the cultural honesty of the work.

Federico said the biggest challenge in executing the project was logistics. “When shooting two full creative campaigns, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle,” he observes. “Overall, working with the IW Group on a job of this size, collaboration is key. On the artistic side, it was important to highlight the vehicle in two different ways – for ‘Colors,’ in a more smooth and elegant fashion, while in ‘Across the Line,’ we wanted to make it dynamic with a sportier feel.”

The closing scene in “Colors” was shot on a virtual production set, allowing the two cast members to appear in an immersive environment dominated by images of floral arrangements. Federico said that as plans for the shoot proceeded, going volumetric to capture this sequence just made sense. “Along with the agency and the VFX house, we worked on the graphic creation and its interaction to make the visuals entertaining and stunning to watch,” he notes. “IW Group and Where The Buffalo Roam collaborated beautifully and really created an amazing image. We also worked with Dogma Studio to visualize the ideas in AI before moving to production.”

The production of “Across the Line” benefitted from the directors’ prior experience shooting a job in India that features a cricket match, the mechanics of which are still unfamiliar to most American audiences. “Cricket is growing rapidly here in the U.S., and Lexus is committed to growing the game and engaging new fans as the Official Automotive Partner to Major League Cricket,” says Quriosity EP Mark Conley. “Working with U.S. National player and Washington Freedom pro-bowler Saurabh Netravalkar made the whole process very easy and fun. And the young players that Federico cast were all very excited to meet him and show off their skills.”

Indeed, casting played an important part in making the spots accessible and relevant, Federico said, “Our brief from the agency was to find East Asian and Indian Asian talent, and Ross Lacy Casting really nailed it. Working in LA definitely helped with this specification in mind. We were also fortunate enough to be able to cast real youth players during a tournament that was happening during pre-production.”

“Federico absolutely crushed it on this campaign,” adds Quriosity founder and EP Qadree Holmes. “We worked with an amazing DP from Iceland, Ottar Gudnason, who really brought a vision to the project that everyone really appreciated. We worked with production designer Alessandro Marvelli again on this project as well; he worked with us on Fede’s earlier spots for Lexus and IW Group, and they have a total shorthand when working together. It was a real pleasure working once more with the client and agency team, and we look forward to collaborating with them again in the future.” 

“Overall, a major takeaway from the spots is the feeling that with these vehicles, consumers are getting a top-of-the-line experience,” said Federico, summing up the project. “We focused on a number of features within both spots, but the key element that we conveyed is modern, contemporary luxury and a truly premium feel,” he stated. “Frankly, the Lexus vehicles make it easy to show that off to full effect.”