Wieden+Kennedy turned to The Mill to make a creatively big idea with a distinct look and edgy feel a reality. The goal was to showcase Neymar's prowess on the field.  

Led by Mill creative director Dan Williams the team came up with an overabundance of mirror references. The inspiration was the concept of an infinity mirror, which created a series of smaller and smaller reflections that appear to recede into infinity.

Almost a month was spent filming in Rio de Janeiro to get everything just right. Due to the careful conservation of the football pitch, no mirrors were allowed to be mounted onto the playing surface. The Mill created each and every mirror in post, using several 'witness' cameras to replicate the reflections. It was a real technical puzzle to solve. The reflections were created by being mapped out, and shot from a designated camera painstakingly placed at the correct angle. At any one time during the shoot there were four 'witness' cameras filming simultaneously. 

Dan explains: "This had never been done before, and required a high level of technical knowledge, improvisation on set, and a small leap of faith. Since the players didn't always follow the same path during play, careful measurements were recorded for each take, then cameras were placed at the inverse. A huge tented studio was built next to the stadium, where the more complex mirror shots for infinite reflections were filmed. Live-action mirrors were configured to capture that 'hall of mirrors' effect."

Dan details the 3D process: "To create the mirrors the CG team worked on the very edge of what was possible and what computers could do, and in many cases the reflections had to be broken down and rebuilt step by step. This scale of job for Nike really calls upon the level of skill a company like The Mill has to offer. It required almost the entire CG department working in tandem at one point to make it possible. It's like a badge of honor amongst the senior artists to create a spot of this magnitude and greatness."

Nike 'Hypervenom' illustrates what it's like to go up against Neymar and his deceptive moves on the football pitch.