A little while ago, director Alex Engel of ADDigital decided to take advantage of his European heritage and spend some time overseas. "I lived in Berlin for three months, but my goal was to be shooting the entire time I was in Europe," says Engel, who recently helmed Web spots for the NHL and HVS Executive Advisors through ADDigital. He chose Vespa as his subject, shooting in Germany, Bavaria, France, the UK, Greece, and, ultimately, the US.
The resulting spec spot is "Building Relationships," and it features people in various scenarios, always riding in pairs. It's an appropriate theme, when one considers how Engel got the job done.
"I put the crew together through living in Berlin and meeting people," he says. His budget was fairly consistent: "100euro per actor, 100euro per Vespa rental. Keep in mind, I couldn't do this with just one motorcycle, I wanted certain colors, so tracking the bikes down was a process." In some cases, Engel was able to call upon family for help, such as an uncle in Bavaria. Other times, he just had to be patient. "I sat outside the Eifel Tower for three hours waiting for a Vespa to go by," he laughs. "But I got it."
London was tough, the director recalls. "By that time, I needed a black Vespa. I finally found one on a local Vespa blog." The footage, all of it beautiful and reflecting Engel's keen eye for arresting visuals, was shot on various platforms. He shot on the Canon Vixia in Europe, the 5D in NYC, and the 7D in upstate NY.
While "Building Relationships" is a spec spot, Engel says it is very much in keeping with the way spots are produced for the Web. "There's an immediacy to digital production," he says. "ADDigital works so well because our team provides that - and Tommy brings the creative firepower to the table, the great creatives are still turning out great concepts, only the execution is different."
It's an appropriate theme, when one considers how Engel got the job done.
Posted by: ClubPenguinCheats | 06/12/2011 at 05:50 PM