Creating a Story
Every diehard car enthusiast has a favorite automotive edit featuring their favorite car.
For the sake of this narrative, an “automotive edit” is simply a video about a car.
These automotive edits generally consist of a fan favorite modified car filmed in a cinematic way. The standard formula consist of a modified car, pretty background, statics, rollers, a beat that bumps in the whip, and gnarly exhaust sounds. This formula was made popular by a few notable YouTube creators in the aftermarket automotive space including Krispy Media, Hartnett Media, and HALCYON. These are a few of my favorite automotive creators in which I draw inspiration from.
I’ve been hooked on watching this style of video ever since I first watched Krispy Media’s RWB Orlando “Fighting Knight”. Not only did it incorporate the key ingredients that make up an automotive edit, but it included an element missing from the generic car edit that I feel would compel a non-car enthusiast to sit through a full car video, a story.
In the past, multiple times I have showed numerous friends either a car cinematic that I really like or one of my own videos to see how they react. More often than not, there is a comment made complimenting the visuals of the video, then the video is closed out of before it has finished. The lack of dialogue or even a loose narrative makes it hard for a non-carenthusiast to be interested in a full minute of a video about a car.
Makes sense right?
There is no single movie that everyone on the planet likes. Although, I will call you out in a heartbeat if you have never seen the Dark Knight Rises or even dare to claim that it’s not one of the best movies ever…
With that said, even I get bored of the typical automotive edit.
Striving to create a narrative, no matter how loose it is, is something that as of recent I have focused on when shooting my automotive work. It’s easy to get lost in the allure of the super car that is being shot, but when a company such as BMW is selling you their latest 5 Series, they are not only selling you the car, they are selling you the lifestyle that the car will give you.
Blaque Diamond Wheels was releasing a new wheel design to add to their F-Series lineup. This specific wheel line is geared towards on-road cars. In order to keep the viewers’ attention as long as possible, I wanted to make sure there was an exciting narrative that would appeal to car enthusiast and non-car enthusiast alike.
From planning locations, reworking shot sequencing, to executing the release video from start to finish, the final product encompasses the direction that I wish to move forward in regarding my future work.
The release video not only showcases a couple of cool cars for the gear heads, but gives all viewers more substance keep their attention for just a little bit more than without any narrative at all.
Moving forward, I will be focusing more on being a storyteller when it comes to my automotive work. That goes for both photo and video.