3D Car Crashes Through Times Square Highrise in ‘Lethal Weapon’ Installation

09.19.2016

Visitors to Times Square have likely been surprised by a red car breaking through the side of a highrise and tumbling down the side the of the building - only to land in a Fox video screen. In the large hole created by the car, Damon Wayans, Sr., and Clayne Crawford, the stars of Fox's movie-spin off series Lethal Weapon, look down, confused at the wreckage, "to sell the illusion of the show's over-the-top action and bring some comedy into the mix."

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"We wanted to create a piece of video marketing that would stand out and grab attention in the crowded bustle," said Les Eisner, senior vice president, corporate communications, Fox Broadcasting Company, in an email. "It's creative execution that literally breaks through."

The installation to promote the September 21 series premiere uses a combination of 3D animation and photo manipulation. The marketing team built out a virtual extension of the neighboring building to create the illusion of the car bursting through the facade and cascading to the ground.

Fox tweaked the installation for an on-air spot that ran September 11 during the Giants/Cowboys NFL game, and the response was so positive that the marketing team expanded it to other platforms, including mobile, social and online.

Spots posted across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook over the weekend, on YouTube September 19-21, and desktop versions will launch on the home pages of IMDB.com and People.com on September 21, timed to the premiere date.

In August, Fox also celebrated the return of Empire with an interactive billboard in Times Square that showed the rise of Lucious and Cookie Lyon from grit to glamour.

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