Musicians improvised a 12-hour soundtrack for a Mercedes-Benz film

Mercedes-Benz recently broadcast a 12-hour live unfolding film that continuously changed over the course of its runtime to celebrate human progress, entice people to live in the now, and showcase Mercedes-Benz’s range of road-ready hybrid electric cars.

An array of live cameras, installations and data feeds were used to capture the film, which was then programmatically edited into a single live stream on YouTube.

A performance directed by acclaimed choreographer, sound and visual artist Darren Johnston served as a central element of the film. In a style befitting of one of the planet’s most cutting-edge companies, this marked the world-first live performance advert, bringing together dance, light and sound.

The circadian rhythm, commonly known as the “body clock”, acted as the concept underpinning Johnston’s contribution. As a psychological process that reacts to external factors to control internal functions, circadian rhythm is a symbol of life and immediacy, reflecting the film’s theme of our ever-changing present.

A continually evolving soundtrack played across the 12-hour runtime. One principal composer re-arranged the core sounds throughout, while a host of different musicians arrived at hourly intervals to improvise new layers of music.

Performers who have previously played with trailblazers such as Bonobo, Jon Hopkins and Roni Size were among the figures joining the project, each bringing their fresh take to proceedings.

Mercedes-Benz has also launched EQ, a new brand that extends beyond the vehicle itself and caters to customer-focused electric mobility, offering products, services, technologies and innovations spanning from electric vehicles to wallboxes and charging services to home energy storage units. The name EQ is stands for "Electric Intelligence" and is derived from the Mercedes-Benz brand values of "Emotion and Intelligence".

Watch highlights from The Mercedes-Benz Now Experience below.

[Photo: UNIT9]