Optimus and ONE at Optimus recently teamed with 426 Inc. to direct, edit and finish a spot for the National Auto Parts Association (NAPA) website. ‘The Art of Braking’ – directed by ONE at Optimus Director Mark Pallman and cut by Optimus Editor Jim Staskauskas – leverages 22 ReplayXD cameras mounted at various points on a Ford Mustang and a Ford 4 x 4 in action to capture the power and responsiveness of Reactive One™ performance brake rotors, sold at NAPA.
“The NAPA spot is a great example of the benefits of working with an integrated production house such as Optimus,” said ONE at Optimus Executive Producer Kipp Christiansen. “Our production and post teams were on set to ideate and execute with 426 Inc., allowing for creative collaboration and streamlined communication throughout the entire process. Moreover, we were very impressed by the performance of the ReplayXD cameras and their incredibly nimble and sturdy mounts, which allowed us to capture angles and stabilized footage that we could not have gotten with other cameras. We were able to supplement the provocative camera angles with narrative, including close-ups of the driver getting into the car and the installation of the brake rotors.”
In the spot, stunt driver and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car driver Jon Capps maneuvers a car armed with Reactive One Performance brakes at speeds north of 90 mph. He gives the brakes a run for their money, and they perform beautifully. At the end of the spot, we see that Capps has spelled out “One” in skid marks, effectively creating a piece of art using a rotor, rubber and asphalt.
“With deep experience in automotive, 426 Inc. has a comprehensive network of partners in the industry,” said 426 Inc. CEO Robbie Vasquez. “We were able to bring in the perfect group of experts – from driver Jon Capps to the teams at ReplayXD and Optimus and ONE at Optimus – to create a memorable, exciting spot that’s a leader in its category.”
With all the cameras – mounted everywhere from the wheel wells to the gas and brake pedals to the gear shift to the driver’s helmet – Optimus had 30 hours of footage to from which to cut the 60-second spot. “The ReplayXD cameras provided us with amazing angles and incredibly high quality pictures, as they are small enough to be mounted almost anywhere and they hold up in the most extreme conditions,” commented Staskauskas, who has significant experience cutting high action, high speed work. “We even put one on a remote control helicopter for aerial shots. The result is a beautiful spot highlighting all the best angles from the shoot.”
The spot launches at www.theartofbraking.com on November 1. It also can be viewed at www.optimus.com.
Credits
Drew Wehde, Director of Photography
ONE at Optimus
Mark Pallman, Director
Kipp Christiansen, Executive Producer
Craig Leffel, Director of Production
Optimus
Therese Hunsberger, EP/Managing Director
Gretchen Praeger, EP/Managing Director
Katie Smith, Sr. Associate Producer
Jim Staskauskas, Editor
Dan Swierenga, Asst. Editor
Joel Signer, Colorist
Jeff Greco, Asst. Colorist
Marina Bacci, Sound Designer
Scott Yurks, Online Editor
Matt Bregger, Online Asst. Editor
426 Inc.
Robbie Vasquez, Executive Creative Director
Jeff White, Copywriter
Susan Shen, Graphic Designer
Lynn Mignani, Producer
ReplayXD
John Spar
Stunt Driver, Jon Capps
About Optimus
Optimus is a leading integrated production company with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica. A singular, streamlined creative-driven machine, Optimus offers all production services – production, editing, color correction, visual effects and design, audio mixing and finishing – under one roof. For more information, please visit www.optimus.com. Connect with us at Facebook here.
