UNIT9 Reimagines the Aesthetic of Speed for Formula E’s New Gen 4 Era
UNIT9 has partnered with Formula E to unveil a radical new creative direction for the sport, launching the GEN4 race car with a campaign that strips racing back to its rawest elements – light, texture, and motion.
The launch film and accompanying suite of social and photographic assets introduce a hyper-stylised new aesthetic for Formula E, pushing the brand into uncharted visual territory.
Shot in stark monochrome, the film fuses precision with chaos: grains of sand race like electricity, light cuts across tarmac and steel, and glimpses of the car emerge from shadow, teased through fractured reflections and sculptural camera moves.
UNIT9’s vision was to capture the feeling of innovation – a visceral interpretation of speed and power rather than a literal one. The piece draws on high-contrast cinematography, inverted imagery and practical light effects to build an atmosphere that feels both elemental and futuristic.
“We wanted to redefine how electric racing feels, not just how it looks,” says Henrik Alm, UNIT9. “Everything sits in tension – light and dark, silence and noise, motion and stillness. It’s that edge between control and chaos that defines the GEN4.”
With only a narrow production window to shoot the GEN4, UNIT9 designed a workflow that pushed post to the forefront of the craft. Clean plates of the car and environment were captured in controlled light, then processed through bespoke AI-assisted pipelines to rebuild illumination, add atmosphere, and embed textural detail. Each shot became a digital canvas – part cinematography, part sculptural design – fusing human intent with machine precision to achieve a look impossible to capture in-camera.
Delivered as a hero film with social cut-downs and stills, the work sets the tone for Formula E’s next era: a reinvention not just of technology, but of its creative identity.
“The brief was open but the expectation clear; create a Hype Film that excites, redefines and pushes FE into the world of cultural fandom and contemporary film making. We didn’t just want to make a noise but create a visual journey that would be a point of reference for the racing category moving forward.’
The result is a film that feels like electricity incarnate – a sensory jolt that signals where Formula E is heading next.
Credits
Client: Formula E
Production: UNIT9
Director: Henrik Alm and Niclas Moos
Managing Director: Adam Dolman
Executive Producer: Andrew Davies
Producer - Kirsty Lane
Director of Photography: Luke Sullivan
Editor: Niclas Moos
Post Production: Lamont Studios
CGI Artist: Mike Lamont
Photography: Gabriela Alatorre
Music & Sound Design: Robert Dietz / Studio Teiwas
Grade: Myles Bevan
