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© Images by Jason Almendinger
FIAT
This was a first for me. Although car commercials are an extremely niche market that's hard to break into, I got the opportunity and I know I couldn't waste it. Generally, car commercials are incredibly expensive endeavors which explain why they are so exclusive. However, I was able to dissect and execute the technical achievements of similar commercials in a way that saved money while also maintaining a high production value. In order to do this, the shoot was a series of tech-heavy days with larger crews mixed in with more simple days involving a skeleton crew. This helped to maintain the budget and utilize the production value where it was needed most: locations. My camera department saved so much money, production was able to allocate that cash to bigger and better locations, which led to more breathtaking results.
"Crossover to the Wild" was our initial spot with Fiat. It was all about the crossover vehicle. It begins with the 500X off road and transitions onto the road, accompanied by 4 people having a good time. This was meant to show its versatility through different environments. Simple, fun and focused. I was able to achieve this spot with such budget & time efficiency that the client asked if we could do three more commercials. They wanted to showcase other features of the car in a similar fashion.
© Images by Jason Almendinger
After studying & deconstructing larger car commercials, I was able to deduce the majority of production value was squeezed from 3 elements: location, the use of a car gimbal system, as well as, aerial photography. Most commonly these two forms of capture are done with a combination of a MotoCrane and Helicam rigs, which are unsurprisingly expensive. To achieve these shots within budget, I had the idea of utilizing drone photography in tandem with a gimbal, which my grip team and I built out of the back of a pickup truck, for ground level car-to-car capture.
I was able to expand our production value tenfold by getting creative and diversifying the ways my camera department captured the images. Between drone, truck gimbal, car mounts and stationary shots inside the car (and a splash of trickery) our client got everything they asked for and more. I made sure to lead the team and advise on scheduling, so we didn't miss going to the right spot at the right time of day to achieve epic shots like this:
© Images by Jason Almendinger
"Natural Selection" was meant to focus more on the elegant side of the the 500X. I chose more graceful camera moves to support the premium materials used in the vehicle.
"Tigershark" was much more aggressive. That meant more use of ground, car-to- car moves. The ground shots carried a visceral intensity. This was meant to show the sporty and rugged side of the vehicle.
"Migration Season" was meant to show the more playful and capable side- that the 500X is family friendly.
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