The best kind of work lets you do exciting things in exciting places — this is just one of the many reasons we love working in film and video production. Our shoots have taken us all over the world and introduced us to fascinating people, and our most recent project was no exception. Our production company may be based in New York, but the team flew out to Austin, Texas to capture content for BMW Motorrad at the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, the “most inclusive motorcycle show in the world.”
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this gig certainly proved them right! This three-day event showcases a wide range of motorcycles from around the world, and it was our job to make sure that BMW’s motorcycle brand could make its mark. Much of the content we filmed was distributed directly through BMW Motorrad’s Instagram channel to highlight the event for the brand’s fans and followers around the world.
We spent all day shooting, capturing everything from the opening party and influencer riding scenes to daily recaps of event activities. This presented a unique challenge for our team, who had to do our best to be everywhere at once and deliver same-day results in the form of footage, edited posts, and stills.
When you’re working with turnarounds that tight, a few other obstacles come into play. For instance, since we didn’t have the time or manpower to make every attendee sign a release, we had to do our best to avoid showing anyone’s face in our footage. This is easier said than done — when you’re working with big crowds, let’s just say people are bound to glance at the camera. For similar reasons, we also had to minimize the number of logos that appeared in our footage. Since logos and other forms of intellectual property generally have to be licensed, cleared, or blurred, we had to be quite careful with the footage we shot, edited, and presented in our final output.
Fast turnarounds like this can also be tricky, but they’re one of our specialties. Our team is experienced in both long- and short-form video, and since all the team members on this shoot were trained to use our equipment, we were able to tag-team different shots and tasks effectively and efficiently. It’s just one of the perks of having a skilled, versatile team.
At the end of the day, we were happy to support a brand we believe in at an event celebrating one of the things nearest and dearest to our hearts: motorcycles. There was no shortage of impressive motorcycles to admire, and we loved documenting a show that means so much to our community — whether you’re in New York City or Texas, people love a good set of wheels.
Not everyone gets to travel for work, and not everyone gets to do what they love every day. Thanks to everyone at BMW Motorrad and the Handbuilt Show for a great weekend, and check out @bmwmotorradusa on Instagram to take a peek at some of our work.
- pictures JP Kathoefer