The Bentley Batur is an ultra-exclusive grand tourer from Mulliner, Bentley’s bespoke coachbuilding division. Designed as a showcase for the marque’s future-facing aesthetic and as a swansong for its iconic W12 engine, the Batur is both a design manifesto and a collector’s piece. Drawing inspiration from its namesake volcanic lake in Bali, the vehicle and its visual campaign merge elemental force with refined craftsmanship.

Creative Brief

JSR Agency approached Little Shadow following a significant shift in creative direction. The new brief called for a complete reimagining of the visual narrative: not a typical automotive showcase, but a filmic origin story, where the car emerges as if forged from lava, rain and volcanic stone.

With final car details still under wraps and evolving during production, the film needed to balance abstraction with product clarity—conveying heat, weight and raw power, without losing focus on design lines, finishes and engineering detail.

Our Approach

With only four weeks from kickoff to delivery, our role was to design, build and animate a stylised yet grounded VFX narrative—one that captured the Batur’s connection to nature, energy and transformation.

Vehicle build
We received early-stage CAD data, which we rebuilt and refined to hero key visual elements—the geometric grille, high-polish body panels and re-sculpted headlight surrounds. Meshes were kept flexible to allow for ongoing updates, with particular attention to reflective detailing and animation-readiness.

Liquid metal shaders
To evoke transformation without resorting to complex full-fluid simulations, we developed custom shader networks within our in-house pipeline. These emulated the qualities of molten metal—surface tension, flow distortion, slow-cooling textures—allowing us to stage sequences of the car forming from elemental material. True fluid sims were used selectively for hero moments, such as raindrop impacts and body panel transitions.

Environment design
Landscapes were constructed using LANDSAT and elevation data of Lake Batur’s crater rim, combined with lidar scans of volcanic rocks and Balinese flora. This hybrid approach ensured the film retained a grounded, physical feel, even when visual storytelling leaned into abstraction.

Workflow and delivery
Due to the compressed schedule, we implemented a shot-prioritisation system that allowed for progressive approval: previews focused first on the car’s formation sequences, while terrain and atmosphere were finalised in parallel. The final grade and render pass were completed with a focus on contrast, chromatic warmth and light diffusion—mirroring the real-world interplay of heat, ash and molten surface.

The Results

The Bentley Batur launch film delivered a sculptural, cinematic expression of Mulliner’s design intent—visually rooting the car in the forces that inspired it. Completed in just four weeks, the project combined flexible CG pipelines with concept-driven VFX storytelling.