Client / Kawasaki Europe
Product / ZZR1400
Website / www.kawasaki.eu

With such a complex shot as this, we also needed the pilot and rider present. Once the location and possibilities were confirmed we returned to the location, ran through the images required and began to shoot. With the stall speed of the aircraft being faster than the top speed of even the mighty ZZR1400, timing of the approach of the plane and release of the bike at the end of the runway had to be timed to perfection in order that both vehicles were in position at the correct point on the runway.

For this particular image, I was strapped into the back of the tracking car (a specially adapted Audi RS6 brought in especially for the job) at speeds reaching 140mph with the motorcycle just a couple of metres from the camera position.  All told the planning and preparation of the shot took approximately 30 man hours with the actual shooting taking about 20 minutes. The ‘cones’ were added in post production.

The Art director comes up with the concept, the client approves the concept based on a large corporate criteria. Once approved, the location has to be scouted, checked and approved and this can only be done by visiting with all involved – this is usually the location agency, the client, the art director, the photographer and in a case such as this where a film was also required, the film director and cameraman.

Shots like this don’t ‘just happen’! There is a tremendous amount of planning and preparation by a highly skilled group of individuals that go into putting together all the pieces of the jigsaw.

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