Premium car reviews for one of the world's largest media outlets.
This creative car review was a fun one, including a day shooting at the UK's fastest race circuit and a night shoot in central London for Telegraph Media Group.
Jodie Kidd hosted these two films that we made for BMW showcasing the i3 and i8 models. More than just the usual 'car review', we wanted to produce films more high end than the norm to reflect the brand we were promoting.
The night shoot within the city lights of Central London with the i3 was still a challenge with traffic despite the early hours, the city never sleeps!
There was no such problem with the i8 shoot as we had Thruxton race circuit all to ourselves to capture the shots of the i8 being put through its paces.
The final day of shooting was far less high octane, capturing awesome beauty shots of the i8 in an infinity white studio back in London.
A host gives content a point of view and personality that specs-and-voiceover formats can't replicate, which matters for premium or lifestyle-positioned brands where the product needs to feel aspirational rather than purely functional. For BMW, that meant choosing a host whose own profile matched the brand's positioning.
Different environments, night streets, a race circuit, a controlled studio, each demand entirely different lighting rigs, crew calls and even lens choices. Scheduling also has to account for real-world constraints like traffic and location access, which rarely cooperate with a shoot plan, particularly for night shoots in a city that doesn't stop.
Most manufacturer reviews follow a template, walkaround, specs, driving shots. Pushing beyond that usually means investing in a recognisable host, genuine locations over generic backdrops, and cinematic lighting choices, so the content reads as editorial or media content rather than manufacturer marketing.