Nike Hypervenom “Mirrors: ft. Neymar Jr.” is an intense tribute to Brazil's star player, Neymar de Salva Santos Júnior. He is featured wearing the Nike Hypervenom Phantom boots, which he wore throughout the 2014 World Cup.

A distinct look and edgy feel showcases Neymar's prowess on the field.

The VFX team had the daunting task of creating a hall of mirrors on a football pitch, showcasing the moves of the player Neymar Jr.

The artists’ previs was replicated shot for shot in the final cut. During the shoot in Brazil, mirrors were not allowed to be mounted onto the playing surface. The team created each and every mirror in post, using several "witness" cameras to replicate the reflections. The team mapped out and shot from a designated camera painstakingly placed at the correct angle. The artists then coordinated several ways to film the football players in a studio next-door to the stadium for the hall of mirrors effect.

Final composites of the stadium, players and CG crowds were sent to the CG team to create broken reflections in the simulated mirrors.

The mirrors were then rendered out and passed back to the 2D artists, who placed and stabilized them carefully in each shot, to ensure they reflected the environment correctly.

A photo-real stadium crowd was created using a combination of CG Massive, and a large live action energetic group of fans. Hundreds of unique flags were added, and the stadium lights and flares gave it the final look.

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The challenges of shooting such an intricate concept in a high-profile location with an internationally famous star were overcome by careful preparation and innovative solutions. Almost a month was spent in Rio de Jainero to get everything just right.

Since the players didn't always follow the same path during play, careful measurements were recorded for each take, then cameras were placed at the inverse to capture a ‘reflection’ of each play. Up to 14 ‘witness’ cameras were filming at any one time. When the cameras were moving, the reflection needed to be shot at the same focal depth as the hero camera. It took planning and a slight leap of faith to overcome, as this technique had never been done before.

Amazingly large amounts of extras were present in the stadium. Up to 400 Brazilians were there to applaud their star players. It was important for the team that they were part of the final composite. Several angles of the lively crowd were captured and overlaid onto the CG massive for an added reality. Their joy and excitement at being included was contagious, and that energy shows through in the spot.