Buick TourX

I want to thank you again for sending this project our way. I love the direction you’re taking. The deck you’ve created is wonderfully detailed, and part of what I find so exciting about it is that it connects with me in so many different ways. 

As a director it offers a perfect fit for my filmmaking sensibility. The narrative is rich with cinematic opportunities. The location looks as if it has limitless potential for providing a wide range of cool and awe-inspiring visual details. And personally — being the father of a little scout and budding adventurer, this also feels like a story, and vehicle, that couldn’t be more perfectly suited for my interests, aspirations, and lifestyle. 

In fact, in some ways, it’s almost as if I’ve already set out on an adventure, because much like taking a journey into the wild, something new and exciting seems to reveal itself every time I look through the boards. That sense of endless promise, possibility, and relatability is a big part of what I think makes this campaign so special. It’s about a great American vehicle — designed and built to help you connect with the beauty and wonder of the great American outdoors — while still enjoying some 21st century comfort, convenience, and style.

Like one of our campers, we want to strike a fine line between the part of ourselves that’s determined to bike all the way up that mountain, and the part that needs to call in the TourX for a quick rescue after about a quarter mile grinding uphill. Capturing that fine balance of humanity and humor happening in the midst of these beautiful surroundings is what I think will enable us to set the groundwork for establishing a strong and ever-growing affinity for the TourX and Buick brand — and what follows are some thoughts on how I would like to make bring that all to life. 

The Look & Tone

The Happy Camper theme that this campaign is built on goes a long way toward establishing the vibe we want to capture in these stories. The camera, lensing, use of light, settings, and performances should offer us a nice mix of moments that feel found rather than overly profound. That will involve using a visual language that is beautiful and cinematic — but at the same time rich with a causally captured realness. After all, this is about camping with a couple of fun loving people who don’t take life, or themselves, too seriously, and we want to instill the stories with that same feeling of naturalism, discovery, and good-spirited joy.

Similar to the way I approached the Maine spots, I want to tell these stories in ways that feel as if the actions captured all come from the heart. Nothing must look or feel forced, set-up for the camera, or contrived. Each and every moment must feel as if it is unfolding in front of the lens spontaneously, honestly, and without any pretense or artifice whatsoever. 

That means keeping everything focused on the organic components that are key to the narrative — which are seeing this couple in the moment, with this vehicle, experiencing the fun and wonder of this amazing place. That’s where we’ll find the magic, the charm, and the sense of awe needed to make these stories great, and that’s what I want to bring to the film.

As I mentioned during our call, I think this all lends itself incredibly well to being filmed anamorphic. The beauty of this is that it would provide you with choice of finishing it in a letterbox format — or 16:9 — if that’s the look that you and the client prefer. That said, I think the final stories would gain a quality that works incredibly well with the sort of retro/modern look of the campground. The full vista format would offer the campaign, and this vehicle, a distinctive look that resonates with the audience we’re reaching out to. And it would go a long way toward heightening the scenic imagery by offering it a look that is awe-inspiring, epic, and naturally breathtaking. 

The choice is obviously yours, but this would give you the flexibility of considering both once you get to the edit. Either way, I would still want to film these scenes using a selection of vintage lenses as a way of offering the spots a look that is cinematic, warm, and textured — as opposed to being overly crisp, cold, or impersonal. 

Getting Thorough and Fully Comprehensive Coverage

I always shoot with the edit in mind, and I go into every shoot with the goal of capturing the broadest mix of footage humanly possible — and for this project I think that is of paramount importance. This would involve employing the docu-like mentality of shooting from sunup, to sundown, and into night. That doesn’t mean capturing a bunch of random footage. The idea is to plan our shoot days carefully, which will ensure that we get all the footage we need to tell our stories well — while still having the flexibility to capture those spontaneous moments and happy accidents that always present themselves in the midst of filming.

This comprehensive approach to coverage will include the use of a hand-held camera, drones, loose and fluid camera moves, epic wide shots that offer us stunning natural vistas, close ups that are intimate and human, silhouettes of people standing against gorgeous sunsets, focal shifts, organic camera moves, and of course a nice mix of beautifully integrated car shots of our TourX.

Sound Design

It’s impossible to imagine these moments playing out without hearing a mix of organic sounds playing out in my mind, and I think it would be smart to go in with the idea of bringing that added texture to the storytelling. Along with searching for moments of real and natural exchanges of dialogue and laughter, we should strive to capture the sounds of water rippling against the shore, birds chirping early in the morning, gravel grinding under bicycle wheels, the thunk of an axe landing on a target, the ping and the pong of a table tennis match, crickets chirping, logs tumbling down into the cargo space, the crackle and pop of a campfire, and maybe for good measure — the hoot of an owl breaking through the quiet of a perfect night at the campground. 

Our Campers

This campaign demands actors who can bring a high level of naturalism to the action. They need to look real, relatable, likable, and approachable, and they must have the talent to inhabit these characters in ways that are absolutely real. There mustn’t be even the slightest hint of them “acting.” This is about working with them in ways that will help them deliver in-the-moment performances that are nuanced, genuine, and wonderfully human. 

In support of this, I always like to work with my actors in ways that will help us develop a sense of trust and rapport. Rather than giving them hard and fast direction, or asking them to “hit a mark” and perform on cue, I always prefer taking a more organic approach that encourages people to relax in front of the camera, improvise when the opportunity presents itself, and bring touches of their own personality and life experience to the storytelling.

As a way of developing this, prior to shooting it would be great to spend a day on location with our talent and the cinematographer. That would afford us time to finalize wardrobe, explore the camp grounds, familiarize ourselves with the TourX, and get to know the surrounding areas a little better — which I think would help bring a higher sense of reality and fun to our camping adventures. 

For spots like this, it’s also important that they be able to bring a true sense of shared enjoyment to the scenes. They need to be able to laugh at themselves, and genuinely convey a feeling that these they have a relationship and a shared interest in leading active lives that always lead to little moments of spontaneous fun and adventure.

The Car Shots

This is a good looking vehicle that will definitely have a strong appeal to people (myself included) and I think it needs to be integrated in ways that are natural to the action.  Whether or not we’ll see it in driving shots is a question that still needs to be discussed, but even if we aren’t filming typical car-to-car performance shots, I still would like to use the drone to get up overhead so that we can see the TourX winding along a colorfully wooded road. Moments like these can be used to gain some added cinematic value from our location, while also providing us with fluid transitional moments that can keep the TourX connected to our characters and story.

In addition to scenes that are tied to the narrative, we’ll also be setting time aside to shoot the Demo pieces, which will have a look that is consistent with, but independent of, the live action. Ideally, I would recommend shooting them in a straightforward way while making sure that the car is lit beautifully. For demos such as the roof rack, we’ll want to have a human presence in the scene, but for this we will use someone (other than our actual actors) to perform the task in a way that is quick, precise, and easy to follow. 

Happy Campers / Lift Gate

Since this story centers around Nick and Brynn preparing to build a campfire, it makes sense to open late in the day when the sun is low on the horizon — bathing the scenes in the soft, warm, glow of magic hour. 

After using a wide establishing shot to immerse viewers in the charming atmosphere of the surroundings, we’ll cut closer to see our couple exiting the Chipmunk Cabin. 

Cutting to another angle, we see them gathering up firewood that’s been stacked nearby. Perhaps as a way of adding some texture we can cut close to hands gripping logs with well-worn leather gloves. Or, as a way of bringing a hint of charm to the scene we might create a moment in which Brynn is stacking so many logs in Nick’s arms that he can hardly see. 

I see these moments being captured with a combination of tracking shots and camera moves that follow the action. Those moments can be punctuated with static wides and compositions that focus on foreground elements. This would allow us to take the eye to interesting details at the campgrounds, the TourX, or just add to the beauty of integrating some hints of nature. 

Visually, details like these will help shape the narrative so that the viewer not only feels the location but also can be apart of the experience that Nick and Brynn are having — and that same approach will be taken to all the films. 

Grabbing some herself, she follows Nick down a little path to arrive at the TourX. It’s only then that we realize their predicament. Their arms are so full that there is no way for them to open up the back hatch to load the logs. But no need to worry. When Nick has it all under control.

We see him stretch out his foot. Cutting to a detailed shot we see him wave it beneath the back end of the TourX and over the emblem that we see on the ground… 
The hatch pops open and lifts up. This offers us an opportunity to transition to an angle that provides us with a great look at the cooler and cargo organizer resting neatly inside the cargo space.

Then, perhaps we can take a moment to cut to a shot looking out from inside the car to see the two of them dumping the logs in before heading out to build their lakeside fire.

Transitioning to the lake at sunset, we see Nick and Brynn easing back in chairs with their faces warmed by the glow of the fire. Overhead we see a beautiful evening sky painted with pastel pinks and blues. The mountains rising in the distance are now silhouettes rising against a purple sky. It’s peaceful and serene — a perfect evening to just sit and enjoy the simple wonders of nature. 

For our final moment, we can use a drone to really get the full effect of this scenic destination. As we approach the TourX we can fly upward to reveal a dynamic view of their campfire — as we bring our adventure to a close on a vista of pure beauty. 

Happy Campers / Roof Rack

There are a number of reasons to love this spot. It’s wonderfully human and relatable. It allows us to see a side of Brynn’s character that makes her likable and incredibly relatable. And, it presents us with some great photographic opportunities that can help add to the cinematic richness of the film.

Since Brynn is going for a bike ride, it might be interesting to open this in early morning light. A nice night at the camp has inspired her to get up, get some exercise, and explore nature. We see her bouncing out of the cabin, ready to go.

Cutting inside the dark shed, we shoot from inside out to see her swing the door open, letting light flood into the space.

In a close up on her face we see her glance at something and smile, then cutting to the reverse we see a classic old bike leaning up against the wall of the shed. 

She grabs a cool looking helmet, pulls the bike out, and starts tooling down a path — enjoying the fresh air and crispness of this beautiful morning.

For the moment of her starting her ride, I want to make sure that it looks and feels almost idyllic. Everything is perfect. It’s absolutely gorgeous. And we totally expect things to go wonderfully well from this point on… But like most of us, her expectations are soon met with the slap of harsh reality.

Transitioning to a little later in her ride we see her pumping the pedals of this single gear bike uphill. To support this idea of her laboring, we can cut to a close up of her feet on the pedals, her hands clutching the handlebar grips, and her face — with the serene smile she had staring out, long gone. 

As she reaches the top of the incline (or maybe not quite all the way up) we see her stop to evaluate the ride that lies ahead. Thinking things over, we see her expression change. That’s enough for one morning…

She climbs off the bike, takes a seat somewhere that provides her with a nice view of the landscape, and pulls out her cellphone…

At this point we might cut to Nick to see a text bubble light up on his screen. Come and get me… He knows Brynn well enough for this not to come as a surprise, and with an ironic smile, he heads out to the TourX — which takes us to the demo portion of the Roof Rack being installed.

Upon arrival we want to see Brynn through the front windshield as we approach, which would offer a subtle way to once again feature the interior. Transitioning to a wide shot, we see Nick getting out of the car to help Brynn. 

As they finish attaching the bike to the rack, they exchange a bit of a laugh. Brynn realizes it might have been better to choose a path that was a little less Tour de France. But since they are both up and out on this beautiful morning, they decide to make the best of it, and drive of in a different direction — seeking out another little adventure.

Happy Campers / Wi Fi

We’ll start by seeing Nick and Brynn relaxing on the porch of the A-frame. They’re dressed in comfortable clothes. It nice and peaceful, and even though there’s nothing wrong with sitting and doing nothing, we can tell that they aren’t the type of people who do nothing for too long.

They give each other a look. Without saying a word, they immediately understand what the other is thinking. They head into the cabin — and return a moment later dressed for a little adventure, with a laptop bag and camera.

The camera follows along after them as they hurry to the TourX, slide in, and head down the trail toward some fun and adventure.

Then, in a series of cuts we see them engaged in all sorts of different camps activities — catching snap shots along the way. And for this sequence, we should cover off as many things as possible. Archery and Hatchet throwing have to be at the top of our list, and we’ll want to film them in a way that has a look and feel that really shows the design quality of Camp Wandawega.

If we can, I would also like to catch some quick moments of them playing horseshoes, hitting some tennis balls with cool looking wood rackets, putting up some shots against an old-school wooden backboard, playing ping pong, or even taking a moment to sit at the end of the dock skipping stones. 

POV from interior of the car we now see them approaching the TourX. Brynn reaches in and grabs her computer from the back seat and plops down to begin downloading. Before Nick joins her he opens the back hatch to get some water and rearrange their stuff. 

This will take us to the moment of the two of them hanging out in the TourX with the doors open, and their legs and feet stretching out — while putting the TourX into Accessory mode to look at and post all the photos they took. 

Summing things up… 

These are some of my initial thoughts, which hopefully can act as the beginning of an ongoing, open, and active, conversation.

Ultimately, I feel that there is such and abundance of wonderful imagery that can be shot, and so much to be discovered, that we may decide to create an Anthemic fifth spot — that encompasses all these stories into one epic journey that really celebrates the TourX…