BMW M2 Competition Stunts

Asylum was behind the making of BMW’s publicity campaign, setting a new record for balloon popping by laser and cutting rolled mats with a samurai sword. Both mounted on their latest car, ‘Competition’.

We calibrated the laser’s intensity to achieve the desired speed of balloon popping and yet falling within safety parameters for crew members. It was then securely mounted onto the car, behind the air intake grill. The balloon rigs held them in place securely and involved optimising the formations on the track so that enough could be popped within the preplanned driving pattern. Multiple test drives were made in the UK to make sure everything was in order for the stunt driver, before shooting the official video in South Africa.

For the Cutting Edge stunt, a sharp katana was mounted securely on the car’s rear which was then drifted across rows of bamboo rolls,  slicing them in half. Extensive testing was conducted at our workshop, using a pneumatic linear slider to replicate the speed of the car. Spacing, angle and tightness of the roll had to be specific in order for the blade to ‘bite’ the roll effectively. Once this was established, we fabricated the numerous metal stands needed for the complete course.