A Holiday Story

Los Angeles, California

McLaren asked me for a holiday commercial and left the story to me. My pitch was a ballerina and an Artura Spider, with a dog along for the ride, which reads stranger on paper than it plays on screen. It was released on Christmas Day and picked up by hundreds of media outlets.

We built a practical Christmas set on stage and filmed across five locations in Los Angeles with a 25-person crew, from the approved storyboard to the final frame.

“Beautifully imagined and shot. We have worked with Niaz on multiple occasions, and each time, he has proven himself to be an invaluable creative partner.”
Roger Ormisher, Vice President, Brand and Communications, The Americas, McLaren Automotive

The stills are Los Angeles too, shot with a McLaren GT. Palm streets at golden hour, the downtown skyline behind the doors, a tunnel at speed and an aerial over the freeway, because a car like this belongs to a city as much as it belongs to a road.

Narrative Form produced it. I directed, and produced alongside Veenessa Zhang. The full crew is credited below.