AUDI "E-TRON" (2018)
Range Test Director’s Cut by Austin Kelley
Event: E Tron Reveal
Event: Range Test Presentation
Director
Production Company
Creative Director / EP
Executive Producers
Agency
Executive Creative Director
Agency Producer
Line Producer
Production Coordinator
APOC
Tahoe Location Manaager
SF Location Manager
1st AD
Director of Photography
Camera Car Services
Post Production
VFX Supervisor
Austin Kelley
Hello Pluto
Dave Corbett
Christine Sheridan
Zack Jacobs
Seeds Detroit
Dan Zwolak
Brian Latulippe
Nick Erickson
Chris Madrigal
Jesse Cohn
Tim White
Matt Reoch
Hilton Day
Yuki Noguchi
Ducey Camera
Pluto Post Productions
Zack Jacobs
APPROACH
We could only tamper with the range test drive so much, so it meant we had to shoot it “reality style”. But the client also wanted epic drone shots and car-to-car, which both require control and are somewhat contradictory to “reality”. This meant we had to have every primary road location permitted for along a very specific route. We had three teams of ITC (traffic control) and 2 CHP officers to assist with our shoot. This allowed to move from one to other as quickly as possible. We had two drone teams; one in Tahoe, and one in SF. The camera car traveled with the picture/test car all the way from bay to Tahoe, and back to bay again. We didn’t have time for more than one take in most cases, so it meant the camera had to be ready before the car arrived at each stopping point. It was a long day, but we’re happy the client was happy! After that, we went back to Tahoe and shot a second day of just the plates, starting in Tahoe and ending in the bay.
OBJECTIVE
This project started out as just a “plates” shoot, but then became more, and we were happy to take on the challenge. Audi was conducting a range test drive for the E-Tron from the SF Bay Area to South Lake Tahoe, to track how far it could go on a single charge. The engineers performed this test multiple days that week, and we only had one with them. So it meant we had to shoot this test with car-to-car, drone shots, and GoPro all in the same day. Also, as originally planned we owed environment plates in 5:1 aspect ratio, 8K resolution covering 5 different locations. These plates would later be projected behind a physical car in the World Premiere presentation of the Audi E-Tron.
NOTES
2 days on location, SF Bay Area and Tahoe.
Footage was used in World Premiere presentation of Audi E-Tron, supporting a message from Scott Keogh, President of Audi, USA.
Covered over 400 miles with car-to-car, multiple drone units, and GoPro shooting all in one day.
LINK TO FULL VIDEO OF AUDI E-TRON WORLD PREMIERE, SEPT 17, 2018.