Habana Avenue put the pedal to the metal recently when it help create Aerosmith's rocking' NASCAR season open which precedes every race broadcast on ESPN. The high-octane, 12-camera HD shoot took place during the band's concert gig at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas.

The open, which finds Aerosmith performing its anthem of the '70s, 'Back in the Saddle,' marks the resurgence of the iconic band and the start of a new season of NASCAR racing on ESPN.

"We did a location scout of Aerosmith's Nashville concert last October and had an opportunity to pitch creative to the band and its management," says Habana Avenue creative director/executive producer, Steven J. Levy. "Aerosmith are huge NASCAR fans, and they added their input on how to tailor their show to the specific needs of NASCAR and ESPN. We were interested in shooting a big green screen behind them and the MGM Grand Arena was one of just two indoor venues that met our size requirements."

It was Habana Avenue's intention to stage an unobtrusive shoot during the gig but "Aerosmith was so excited that they wanted to embellish the show with cars and other NASCAR elements," Levy reports. "The band, their crew and staff -- they were all really into it."

Habana Avenue brought in a giant green screen for the sound check during which NASCAR-specific footage cut for the song was projected behind the band. Images included cars from Richard Petty Racing branded with Aerosmith's and ESPN's logos. The green screen was quickly dismantled and the band's huge custom LED screen was installed in time for the show. Live IMAG and video elements on the LEDs were captured during Aerosmith's performance.

An HD broadcast truck from Cox Media worked in conjunction with Nocturne Productions, Aerosmith's broadcast-equipment provider, on the production which featured a dozen Sony broadcast HD cameras shooting 720p. Cameras were Steadicam-operated, handheld, pedestal-mounted and robotic.

Female Racettes, waving checkered flags, took center stage at the start of the open. They choreographed a flag reveal of Steven Tyler who cried, "I'm back!" and launch into the lyrics of the slammin' 'Back in the Saddle.' Feeds from remote cameras and POV cameras were adjusted to work with the shoot and mixed with new feeds especially for the open.

One of the production's most innovative elements was suggested by Aerosmith. Habana Avenue was tasked with turning a real NASCAR vehicle into a lighting instrument replacing its headlights with powerful spotlights illuminating the band. "We had to figure out how to gut the vehicle, make it light enough to hoist in the air and fly on the edge of the stage, and rebuild it as an effects element," Levy explains.

Aerosmith performed two run-throughs of the song back-to-back during the concert with the audience becoming a dynamic part of the open, too.  "Everyone was so excited about doing this," says Levy.  "The MGM Grand Arena was great to work with -- they let us get in, get out and do anything we needed. Aerosmith, its management and Nocturne were terrific throughout."

At ESPN, Valerie Fischler was senior creative producer, Rich Feinberg NASCAR senior coordinating producer and Neil Goldberg NASCAR coordinating producer. At Habana Avenue, Steven J. Levy, who served as creative producer for the project, was supported by his West Coast team which included producer John Mullins and production manager Philip Ruddy.