Using a combination of stock footage and blue-screen elements, Panic & Bob editor David Baxter managed to take two tots around the world in a Chevrolet Malibu without ever leaving the Toronto studio.

Shot over seven days,’ the three 30-second spots through MacLaren McCann were directed by Imported’s Bob Purman.

While the first two of the spots are fairly simple pieces, the last in the pool is heavily effects-oriented as the Malibu travels around the world to such exotic locations as Paris, Australia and Africa ‘without needing a tune-up.’

‘The kids are looking out the window and see a cowboy going by on a horse that is a blue-screen element married to a stock footage slide, which is being moved by the Henry in the background,’ explains Baxter. ‘It is then composited together with the cowboy and the window shot of the kids.’

Finding the right shots that would communicate well in a very short time, the right perspective for the foreground elements in relationship to the window and the slide, as well as all the other different elements presented the editor with some heavy work.

‘Trying to make them feel as one when you are dealing with so many different things, and getting just the right attitude and pacing was challenging,’ says Baxter, ‘but it was a fun little spot, it kind of comes out of nowhere.’

And although they are not old enough to drive, or even to see over the steering wheel, a matter-of-fact little boy played by Marc Donato and his younger sister played by Jordyn Bennatar get Chevy’s message across.

‘There were some fairly hard attributes to talk about regarding the car,’ says MacLaren creative director Rick Davis. ‘We felt that the kids would make it more charming and more interesting, and since the little boy acts like a grownup anyway, we just thought it would give it more personality.’

Purman had no problems with the two local kids as he has a lot of experience both professionally and personally.

‘If the kids aren’t great and they start to burn out it d’esn’t matter how many fabulous people you have around, it’s the kids that you need to perform,’ says Ford. ‘Bob has a really nice way of making the kids front and center and giving them the confidence so that they can do what they need to.’

And what they needed to do for the third spot was stare out the window ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ on cue at a blue screen and whatever Purman told them to react to.