Filming our #NewCarFeeling video
Filming our #NewCarFeeling video
In our Real Sale #NewCarFeeling video, we wanted to capture that ecstatic feeling you get when picking up your new car.
Together with STV Creative, the Arnold Clark Marketing department decided that using one continuous super slow-motion tracking shot was the best way to do it.
This was achieved by filming at a fast shutter speed, capturing all the movement, smiles, tears of joy and laughter in mesmerising cinematic splendour.
The standard setting at which the human eye can process motion in real time is 25 frames per second (fps). To achieve true slow motion, you must record action at a higher frame rate, so that when it is played back at 25 fps, you get the effect of time slowing down.
To film the #NewCarFeeling video, we used a Phantom Flex4k high-speed camera. This camera is capable of shooting from 15 fps up to 1,000 fps at 4K, and almost 2,000 fps at 2K/1080p.
We shot at 500 frames per second (fps) and then played the footage back at 25 fps. This means that the entire action within the 30-second video was captured in a mere 1.5 seconds of real time.
To achieve this, we had to make sure that all of the action took place at the same time, and that it was all captured using a vehicle carrying the camera at roughly 20–30mph.
Filming over 1.5 seconds brings an added complication with focus. In such a short space of time you can’t physically pull focus from any foreground action to the background action, so the majority of the action must take place at a similar focal distance throughout the shot.
To combat this, we filmed all specialised foreground shots, such as the confetti flying through the air, in front of a green screen. These shots were then added to the video in post-production so that the background action is still in focus.
We caught up with the STV Creative team to get their thoughts on the video.
Why did you choose to use the high-tech Flex 4k technology?
We wanted to capture the moment of joy in finding your new car and basically fill the entire ad with it. Every detail had to stand out with complete clarity and focus. To ensure we were able to capture such a clear image at such high speeds we chose to shoot the ad on the Phantom Flex Camera – the market leader in high frame rate photography.
You had to create a 30-second video and a number of ten-second versions too. Given the intricacies of frame rates and all the action, how did you work out the mathematics – speed, distance, time etc.?
A lot of sums! We know standard speed for TV video is 25 frames per second, so to shoot the scene in beautiful slow motion we had to know 1. How fast we wanted the tracking vehicle to go and 2. How far it needed to travel. Then we were able to work out the optimum frame rate we could shoot at to get the slow-mo effect.
How did you go about selecting your team for this project?
Once we had the creative treatment we looked for a director who really understood what we were trying to achieve – both in terms of marketing objectives and from a technical, creative and production point of view. We then added key crew to the team based on their experience and enthusiasm for the job. Everyone in the crew really pulled together and was totally committed to making it happen and making it great!
How many people were involved to make it happen?
There were over 100 people on set on the day!
The #NewCarFeeling video is incredibly eye-catching and colourful – what influenced the decision to make it this way?
We wanted the advert to be fun and to capture that happy feeling you get when you’ve got something new and shiny that you really, really wanted. The music was a key part of the creative from quite early on and it too was very upbeat, fun – a bit of a party song. We wanted the audience to watch it and feel happy, so there was a real conscious decision to add colour – mainly bold primary colours – and this was briefed in to the wardrobe team and the cast for costume. We worked with Arnold Clark to get brightly coloured cars. The confetti and smoke was chosen to be as bright and bold as possible.
How did you choose who to cast in the video?
We wanted to ensure we chose people who represented the Arnold Clark customer base, but also supplemented this with some performers, such as dancers and cheerleaders, who would bring some excitement and energy to the shot. There are also a few friends and family in there who really wanted to be part of the project. They all seemed to have a good time on set and were genuinely having fun, which really comes across in the final advert.
What was the most challenging aspect of filming on the day?
Definitely the weather. We were actually really lucky and managed to get a few solid shots before the downpour came in mid afternoon. You wouldn’t know it but our shoot day was sandwiched in between two amber weather warnings the day before and after.
Are you happy with the result?
Delighted. There are so many little expressions and details in the ad that capture the fun the cast were having which is infectious! The Arnold Clark Marketing team picked a really great song and all the elements came together to capture the #NewCarFeeling which is what we wanted to achieve. We want customers to come down to the sale, join in and find their perfect car!
