In a year full of uncertainties, one thing is clear — the coronavirus pandemic left no industry untouched. As a small New York production company, we capped our lenses entirely during the worst of the first spike. Months later, as New York slowly emerged from lockdown, we donned our masks and dramatically transformed our shoots to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions.
We’re not alone — brands and companies around the world are getting creative when it comes to adapting their business models to a COVID world. In fact, this flexibility is exactly what brought motorcycle gear company REV’IT! into our office.
As a premium European brand specializing in high-end motorcycle apparel and parts, REV’IT! usually relies on in-person press events to introduce their new product lines. Since the pandemic has made large gatherings untenable (and traditional Zoom presentations just weren’t cutting it), they came to us with a unique proposition: produce a high-quality press video debuting the new Spring/Summer 2021 collection.
Needless to say, we were thrilled. REV’IT! is one of the world’s leading motorcycle gear companies, so the opportunity to help them showcase their new apparel was a dream come true for a team full of motorcycle enthusiasts.
Since the video was meant to stand in for an in-person press event, we focused on detailed product walkthroughs where REV’IT! team members highlighted each piece of new apparel. Small, local shoots are key in the age of COVID video production, so we were lucky enough to shoot most of these walkthroughs in REV’IT!’s U.S. headquarters right here in Brooklyn.
REV’IT! came to the table with plenty of incredible footage, so our team got to play around with breathtaking B-roll, drone shots, and more. We had an especially good time shooting product shots for their new DIRT Series Off-Road Collection, which gave us a window into the future of motocross and dirt-biking apparel.
The result of this COVID-safe collaboration is roughly one hour of innovative press material, showcasing REV’IT!’s cutting-edge Spring/Summer 2021 line with a blend of product walkthroughs and cinematic action shots in the gorgeous mountains of the West Coast.
More than anything, this project gave us an opportunity to reflect on the silver lining of COVID-19’s devastating fallout: innovation at every turn. Just like production companies in New York and around the world shifted their strategies to shoot COVID-safe content, REV’IT! didn’t let restrictions on in-person gatherings prevent them from delivering an impressive, informative press event.
COVID may have thrown us all a curveball, but creativity will always be the most contagious thing in the room.
- pictures by Mat Andreini
Comments