The brief.
Weber Shandwick needed a short film about the role high-performance lubricants play in Formula 1 engineering. The interview subject was an ExxonMobil engineer. The location was Red Bull Racing's MK-7 facility in Milton Keynes, with historic Formula 1 cars dressed into the frame.
The constraint: keep the interview controlled and exec-friendly, while making the venue do work in the background. Easy to over-light it and lose the cars. Easy to under-light it and lose the subject.
What we shot.
- Two-camera controlled interview with autocue
- B-roll of the facility, historic cars and lubricant samples
- Cutaways for editorial breathing room
How we lit it.
The challenge with a dark workshop space is range. The subject needs to read as the focal point; the cars need to register as more than a silhouette. We worked off a controlled two-source key with a soft fill and let the venue's own practicals carry the depth behind the talent. The B-camera held a wider plate for editorial flexibility.
Delivery.
Two-week turnaround from shoot to final delivery. Single invoice from Small Batch to Weber Shandwick. Stills package included for agency case-study use.
The agency's job, made simpler.
One brief in, one set of files out. No separate invoices for crew, kit, edit and grade. No chasing colourists or sound mixers. The producer at Weber Shandwick had a single line of contact for the entire project.
