Creating flying films with Solent Sky Services
We wanted to make a short film for our website to showcase the improvements we’ve made to the store over the last few months. But we also wanted a film showing new customers the services we offer.
After talking to several companies we chose Solent Sky Services as the guys with the right skills, experience and kit to achieve what we wanted.
Site visit and careful creative planning
Mike and his team came up to see us to check out the site and hear exactly what we wanted. It was clear they understood exactly what was required and were not worried by our ambitious plans. Mike came back to us with a creative outline of how we could get the shots required to create four individual films. The first to show how the storage side of the business works, a second showing our other services, one showing the trimmers at work and one showing a car being detailed. We wanted all this filmed in just one day to minimise disruption and we were counting on good weather so we could get some sunset shots of cars leaving the store. Mike had some great ideas to improve what we’d originally planned for the films.
We also wanted to showcase how a small drone can be used to show off a car for sale. In the right hands a drone can not only follow a car along a road but even go in and out through the windows to show the interior.
Filming day
On the day of filming Mike arrived early with a team of four camera and drone operators. The largest drone they used has a camera that can move independently to get the best possible images. The smallest is not much bigger than your hand for car interiors and confined workshop spaces. The weather was not brilliant but was forecast to improve later in the day so we started with inside shots of the office, workshop and storage spaces.
Having four people and a van load of kit meant we could quickly get the shots required. The guys worked really well together but also took time to put everyone at ease who was being filmed or photographed. They were not overly reliant on drones but used a variety of static and handheld cameras to get the right shots.
Our only remaining worry was the weather. But we got lucky there too. At the ‘golden hour’ – just before sunset – the clouds disappeared so we got some great shots of the McLaren Spider leaving the store and unfolding its roof.
Edit and post-production
One of the reasons we chose Solent Sky Services was their ability to deal with all the editing and post-production we needed. They made sure they really understood what we wanted the films to achieve and were happy to work with the minor tweaks we requested. We had finished films ready to use in a matter of days.
Sales and documentation for prized cars
Seeing the small drone, equipped with a GoPro camera, in action also made us realise its potential for customers. Its ability to fly around, and through, a moving car gives a much clearer idea of a car’s presence than still images can. We hope to work with Solent Sky Services in future to provide video materials for customers’ cars to support sales or to document restoration processes. Seeing the drones in action was a really eye-opening experience.
