About 100 musicians, 12 months and zero budget culminated in one epic triple j Hottest 100 action-packed trailer.

The five-minute trailer has been released to herald the start of voting for the much-anticipated annual music countdown, held on Australia Day.

But just how did triple j bring together artists such as Mark Ronson, Vance Joy, Art Vs. Science, Daniel Johns, Sticky Fingers, Flight Facilities, Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett and even Ice Cube for the promo production complete with car chases and explosions?

Triple j's Tim and Dave plotted, filmed and edited the video over the course of 12 months, grabbing artists as they hit the radio studios for interviews or Like a Version, at music festivals and gigs and mates' houses across every corner of the ABC.

The whole production was pieced together on a next-to-nothing budget with impressive editing skill and the generous help of friends and contacts. ( Youtube: triple j )

The triple j team also went backstage at Splendour in the Grass to shoot footage.

The slick trailer opens with a newsreader warning: "musicians around the country are disappearing, authorities currently have no leads but are not ruling out foul play. All this just weeks out from the triple j Hottest 100."

The very first footage was captured with Vance Joy backstage at Good Az Friday, while the final green screen shoot with Duke Dumont was completed just days ago, before Hottest 100 voting opened.

Peking Duk turned a bit ambitious with staged jumps and flips from an explosion, nearly twisting an ankle on the same day they were leaving on a massive tour.

Getting by with a little help from friends

The trailer was pieced together on a next-to-nothing budget with impressive editing skill and the generous help from friends and contacts.

Triple j fans donated their time and services, including muscle cars, empty pubs, fake tables, and stunt doubles — Jim Finn from Art Vs. Science even filmed one of the drone shots.

Plenty of funny tales emerged from the 36 Aussies and 22 international acts involved in the making of the video.

N.W.A rapper Ice Cube even makes an appearance — a strong selling point for artists unsure about the "action movie trailer" pitch.

Sticky Fingers joked they were "gonna go record an album in Thailand" a few weeks out from their shoot, "but now we are in a movie with Ice Cube, so we might just make that a holiday."

Silverchair's Johns, however, had no idea he would be laying his ARIA on the line opposite Cube.

The trailer is filled with some dramatic action shots that look like they have come straight from a Hollywood movie set. ( Youtube: triple j )

Izzi from The Preatures learnt her martial arts moves at the dojo just moments before her fight, plus she had never met her opponents — Northlane — until that morning.

Flight Facilities and Montaigne had way too much fun in the flight simulator, while a customer waiting outside starting getting impatient.

After the Tame Impala shoot, Kevin Parker said in his interview with Zan Rowe he realised he was covered in sticky grease after lying on the oily metal rail for his laser scene.

More behind-the-scenes moments are expected when the blooper reel is released in the coming weeks.

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