FINAL FILM: HERE
When our friends Ethan Roach and Claudia Stock visited New York and expressed interest in working on a passion project, we knew things were bound to get interesting. Our goals were simple: capture the spirit of New York City, and showcase an incredible car.
We were beyond lucky to work with legendary car collector and fashion designer Magnus Walker, who co-stars with Phil Toledano’s incredible Lancia to bring the shoot to life. We were originally going to feature Magnus’ old black Porsche, but when he called us and told us he had access to the Lancia, we couldn’t resist. It was incredible luck — the Lancia was the perfect car for this shoot, and we love the way the color pops in low light.
Not only did Magnus star and provide the vehicle, but he also helped us iron out the concept, storyboard the script, and even scout some locations around the city. Location scouting in particular was a team effort on this project, and we were thrilled to capture some of New York’s most iconic scenery.
The Brooklyn Bridge scenes were the most exciting part from a coordination perspective — we had one team on the bridge and another team with the Lancia, with a very limited window to get our shots. The stakes were high; if you missed the shot once, you’d have to wait about 20 minutes to get into same spot again.
The shoot itself was split into four days. Day one, we were in Williamsburg, capturing the skyline footage and the drive over the Williamsburg Bridge. The second day was a big one —about 18 hours of shooting, with a quick lunch break to charge our gear and get a little rest. By nightfall, the weather changed from a sunny January day to a cold, rainy night. Don’t get me wrong, it was totally worth it. But believe me, the thought “What are we doing?” certainly crossed our minds when we were soaking wet and exhausted, riding our motorcycles, clutching our cameras in the pouring rain.
One of our favorite shots was a profile close-up shot of Magnus that panned out of the car through the side window to show the car. This shot was inspired by a Movi commercial with a similar camera movement — we loved the concept of entering the side window, staying in the car, and then leaving again.
After a challenging shoot and about 15 days of heavy-duty editing, we were thrilled with the final product. Magnus’ drive captures the pulsing, 24-hour energy that makes New York so special, and that Lancia represents everything we love about cars.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of everyone who helped make our vision a reality. Big Thanks to Shmulik and Scar’s Pizza for letting us shoot in their restaurants, Phil for providing the car, and Night Ryder for providing the music.
- pictures by Claudia Sommer, Ethan Roach, Melanie Sallier and Jean Pierre Kathoefer