Our self-initiated Mercedes-AMG GT film took Gold from the judges in the 3D category, plus People’s Choice awards in both 3D and Authored.
On 10 September, the Frantic team headed to Sinfonia Smith Square in London for the Creativepool Annual 2026. It was the biggest yet, with a record 34 Golds, 111 Silvers and 166 Bronzes handed out across the categories.
We came home with four awards for one film. The judging panel gave our Mercedes-AMG GT project Gold in the 3D category. We also won the People’s Choice in both 3D and Authored, and the judges also awarded it Bronze in Authored.
A judges’ Gold means the work holds up to expert scrutiny. A People’s Choice says it also connects with the wider creative community. Winning both for the same film is something we’re very proud of.
The Creativepool Annual was set up to do things differently from a traditional awards programme. Every category is judged by an independently selected panel of senior creative and brand leaders. Alongside that, the Creativepool community votes for their People’s Choice winners.
Every entrant has two chances at recognition, one from the judges and one from the wider creative community. Our AMG GT film came away with both. The Annual is also one of the only creative awards that shares direct judges’ feedback with shortlisted entrants. And winning work lives on afterwards on the Creativepool platform, where brands and agencies can discover the people behind it.
For Creativepool founder Michael Tomes, that focus on people is the point. Even with AI now appearing across almost every category, he said the Annual is “ultimately about the people behind the work.”
Feedback from James Murray (Global Managing Director at FutureDeluxe) said Frantic’s film was “Beautifully crafted, balancing photoreal automotive realism with bold, distinctive art direction to create a visually striking and technically accomplished piece that stands out.”
Laurence Bendjenad (Creative Director at Lonsdale) talked about the execution being “Highly polished, visually sophisticated and delivered to a clear professional standard. The colour palette is also particularly well judged.”
Most of our automotive work starts with a client brief, a launch date and a list of must-haves. This one started with a question we asked ourselves: What would we make if we had complete freedom?
We chose the Mercedes-AMG GT precisely because it’s hard to get right. People know this car, its lines and the way light runs across its body, so any mistake shows straight away. If we could nail the car and still take big creative risks around it, the film would say a lot about our team.
Self-initiated projects are also where we try out ideas and techniques that later find their way into client work.
We wanted the film to feel like it’s in motion from the very first frame. So rather than unveiling a finished car, we let it come together piece by piece while it’s already on the road.
The world around it follows the same logic. As the car gains speed, the space it drives through starts to take shape, wrapping it in colour and light, then shatters as the car tears out the other side.
Between the bursts of speed, we drop into slower moments. They let viewers catch the details before the next rush hits.
The hardest part was the build. Thousands of pieces had to fly in and lock together while the car kept moving, without a single shot looking messy. It took a lot of iteration to make that much chaos look so controlled.
The other challenge was knowing where to stop. The surroundings could get as wild as we liked, but the car had to stay true to the real thing. Every panel, curve and highlight needed to read as a genuine AMG GT, or the film wouldn’t work.
That tension between a real car and the abstract is what makes the work come alive.
Car brands are a big focus for Frantic, and recognition like this helps open doors. When a marketing team is deciding whether CGI can carry a launch, a finished, award-winning film is far more powerful than any pitch deck, and more convincing than us talking through what we can achieve.
You can watch the full film on our Mercedes-AMG GT project page.
It was a great night all round. Mercedes also won Bronze in the Authored category and TEKA took Bronze in the 3D category, rounding off a strong evening for the studio.
Huge thanks to Creativepool for hosting at such a spectacular venue, to the judging panel, and to everyone who voted for us. Most of all, well done to our team, who are producing some of the best CGI work we’ve ever made.
Congratulations to all the winners, which you can view here.
Want to talk about CGI for your next launch? Get in touch at info@wearefrantic.com.
To discuss starting an animation project, get in touch with Frantic today.
