Ride the Airwaves

Bespoke Practical Wind Rigs & Atmospherics for Airwaves’ “Ride the Airwaves”

MACHINESHOP engineered and executed the comprehensive package of on-set practical special effects for the high-energy commercial campaign “Ride the Airwaves” for Airwaves. Developed to illustrate the intense, deeply refreshing blast of menthol and eucalyptus chewing gum, the spots seamlessly blend lots of practical and visual effects to convey the ultimate physical power of the product.

Our special effects crew worked directly on the soundstage to deploy heavy-duty mechanical elements, delivering real-world, high-velocity wind textures that actors could practically react to in real time. The embedded behind-the-scenes highlight the technical testing and rigging configurations needed to blast these atmospheric currents flawlessly across the filming environment.

Advanced Mechanical Wind Rigging & Environmental Effects

Simulating the refreshing, throat-clearing blast of an intense menthol airwave on camera requires precise velocity calibrations, synchronized physical triggers, and tight coordination with the camera tracking department:

• High-Velocity Practical Wind Rigging: Deploying heavy-duty mechanical air movers and specialized fans from our wind hire range to project localized, high-impact gusts directly onto the talent.
• Crisp Mental & Cooling Atmospherics: Calibrating low-residue haze and cold-air fog generators from our haze machine fleet to visually texture the fast-moving currents, mimicking an icy blast.
• Seamless Stunt & Performance Integration: Positioning low-profile, vibration-isolated mounting setups behind custom studio backing layers, allowing actors to interact with the high-pressure draft safely without breaking frame.