2026 Commercial — VFX

Cheetos — Pickle's Back

The Technical 'Long Version': Splats, Sims, and Cinematic Heists

When you see Megan Thee Stallion surfing a wave of Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle dust, you aren't thinking about neural networks or UV mapping. You're watching a moment.

Behind that moment: Gaussian Splatting (4DGS), an ACEScg 16-bit floating point pipeline, projection mapping, and fluid simulations working in concert — all engineered to feel effortless on screen.

We aren't just using AI because it's the new shiny object. We're using it to solve specific spatial problems — like how to put a custom-built Cheetos truck into a Manhattan street without actually shutting down Manhattan for a month.

A high-octane heist where Megan Thee Stallion and Nickelback liberate the world's supply of Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle Cheetos. The campaign required capturing authentic environments across US cities and integrating them with elaborate VFX sequences — from Houdini fluid simulations to blue screen integration and frame interpolation.

Technical Approach

4D Gaussian Splatting allowed us to reconstruct real-world environments with full volumetric fidelity, eliminating the need for extended location lockdowns. Combined with our ACEScg pipeline operating at 16-bit floating point precision throughout, every element maintained the colour integrity demanded by a campaign of this scale.

Credits

Autonomy

Executive Creative Director / VFX Supervisor James Rogers
MD / EP Production Pete King
AI Workflow Architect / VFX Supervisor Jiri Kilevnik

Production

Director Dave Meyers
Production Company RadicalMedia
Agency GUT Miami
Director of Photography Scott Cunningham
Executive Producer Jim Bouvet
Producer Peter Bunstein

Post Production

Editor Alyssa Oh @ Rock Paper Scissors
Colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld @ Company 3