At Fifty50 we make awesome videos of fast cars, big guns, and beautiful girls. We pride ourselves on being able to put together visual treats that showcase our subjects and draw our audience (you guys!) in.
Automotive videography is one of the things we are best in.
On a very basic level, automotive videography is just taking photos and videos of big cars driving fast. But there’s a lot more to it than that. Making great videos isn’t just about shooting cars, it’s about creating a narrative, developing an effect, and building a bigger picture that centers cars as the main subjects and shows them off in all their glory.
There are a few things to consider when making great car videos. Lucky for you guys, at Fifty50 we are generous folks, so we’ve decided to share some of our experience and expertise with you!
Location
Getting the location right is one of the most important parts of automotive videography. As we said above, creating great videos is not just about the car, it is about the bigger picture, so picking a location that matches the car and the story you are trying to tell is key. Your car is your character, but your character needs a great setting, and one that makes sense.
Kit
There are a few bits of kit that no automotive videographer should be without. For starters, if you don’t have a gimbal, you might as well go home right now. Shooting at speed and on the move requires more than just a steady hand, so a gimbal is vital. Next up, invest in a drone. Drone shots look awesome and give you so much more flexibility in your shots. They are the x-factor in so many videos. Finally, get the right lenses. You’ll need a wide lens for shots of the car in its environment, a telephoto lens to capture the action in the distance, and a macro lens for all the details.
Shade
Shade shots make or break car videos. They are the chase, the overtake, essentially the dynamism and excitement that gets the motor running and adds the thrills that we love to see. You need two cars for a shade shot, one with a sliding back window. You don’t need to go fast during shade shots as with a little camera trickery you’ll get whip-fast action without dangerous driving!
If you want to get some inspiration for your next project, head over to Fifty50.com and take a look at some of the awesome videos we’ve made already!