Client / Kawasaki Europe
Product / ZX-10R
Location / Portimao, Portugal
Website / www.kawasaki.eu
As with most commercial shoots of this stature, a great deal of planning and preparation had already gone into the production for this job when we arrived at the magnificent Portimao circuit in Portugal to begin shooting.
The precise angles and colour treatments for the promotional material for Kawasaki’s flagship model, the ZX-10R had been submitted by the production agency and approved by the client. The angles and lighting directions had been discussed during a pre-check to the circuit some weeks previously, and specific times of day for each shot had been allocated for each angle to ensure that the images were captured in the right place and under the right lighting conditions. Plus, on top of the photographic and logistical planning, additional security staff had been hired and briefed to ensure that the circuit and its support roads could be accessed only by approved personnel.
The key visual was the most technically challenging with the positioning of both bikes and riders being critical to the success of the shot, and to which the layout had been designed with specific shapes and sizes of final output in mind. We considered shooting live with the camera attached to the lead bike but even with two incredibly skilled and talented riders (World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea and one of the fastest ever men around the TT, James Hillier), doing the riding, the chances of every aspect falling into place would have proved too great a risk.
We shot the images separately using similar focal lengths and camera positions to ensure accurate perspectives with consistent lighting and the treatment and final composition was put together by World Champion Amsterdam. The accompanying images were in the main less technically challenging, however using camera positions and angles that are unattainable during normal race conditions proved to be challenging in a number of other areas. All in all, a very pleasing and fulfilling commission for a global campaign.
VIEW DIGITAL CAMPAIGN
We considered shooting live with the camera attached to the lead bike but even with two incredibly skilled and talented riders (World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea and one of the fastest ever men around the TT, James Hillier), doing the riding, the chances of every aspect falling into place would have proved too great a risk.
